Starnight
by Simon Will
Summary: [Story has been rebooted as "Starnight: RE"] Marco Diaz has the life of a normal 15 year old boy- family, friends and girlfriend. Events years old, worlds away changes his destiny, when he is chosen to fight in the Holy Grail War. Together with his Servant - a warrior from another world - they must survive in a Battle Royale with six other mages for the grand price- a single wish.
1. Prologue

_**The story has been rebooted as "Starnight: RE".**_

* * *

 **Prologue**

Sunset had transformed the mewnian sky into its dusky version, when it lighten up. A mix of fiery red and sapphire blue painted the battlefield below. The phenomenon burned away both knights and monsters' shadows for a moment. As actors in a bloody play, none of them responded in any way. They continued swinging blades at each other, furiously trying to achieve victory on the ground.

In the skies, the phenomenon caught battle-worn Star unprepared. A heated gust of wind overpowered her and she got swept away like an autumn leaf. The golden wings on her back struggled with the chaotic wave. It took an exhausting second of fighting, before the invisible enemy passed through her. Star turned at the source of the explosion. One part of her conscious noticed her heart was working twice as hard. The other was busy searching through the thinning smoke. She recognized the silhouette of Queen Moon floating in the air. It was impossible to tell how injured her mother was. Through a cloud of smoke, two tiny lights emerged. Another woman joined the picture, with glowing cheeks piercing the gray curtain. The heartbeat did not ease up.

Star's peripheral vision picked up a purple stream of light getting stronger, closer. Instinct overwrote any though, her arms raised on their own. A violet beam cut through the sky, reaching its target in a blink of an eye. There was no explosion, only a melted hole in her gauntlet, as if it was made of glass. The feeling of any internal injury wasn't there. _Was that it?_ Even after every blow they had traded, Star was not exactly sure what to expect from her opponent. Then she noticed she could neither feel, nor control her right arm.

The same arm that held the wand.

One finger released its grip over the magical artifact. Confusion was written all over Star's face. With every bit of willpower she commanded her hand to hold onto. The middle finger followed up. Mentally she counted each remaining one, as if it was a countdown till the end of the world. Another finger let go. The wand lightly tilted away from Star's arm. Her pupils were gone, replaced by sharp dark dots. She tried to reinforce the grip with other three hands.

The last finger opened up, sending the wand into a long freefall. Less than a second had passed since the beam had struck Star.

"Damn it!" she yelled and dived down.

Like an eagle after its prey Star locked onto the wand. Golden wings fluttered furiously, pushing her through the thick air. Every moment she was getting closer to the falling wand. Every second the blurry background was getting clearer. Monster and mewmans, clashing silver weapons and golden shields. Star pushed herself further. The distance was disappearing. She was going to make it, wasn't she? Maybe instead she should make a portal at the battlefield? A knight screamed as his life reached its end. It was too risky. And the wand was almost in her grasp. Star extended her closest left arm and kept the others straiten-up. Seconds later she would have to hit the brakes really hard. Or crash-land.

Of all the sounds coming from the battlefield, her attention focused on a thin buzzing. For each centimeter she got closer, the buzzing increased its pitch. That's right, she was not alone in the skies. Her enemy was aiming at her again. The same mistake. She cursed herself.

 _If you can't move, you don't need a wand_. Just as Star finished her though, the buzzing vanished. Her wings instantly tilted and felt ray of magical energy passing just above her back. A last moment maneuver saved her from the violet beam. But the distance between Star and the wand started to grow rapidly. The warmth of magical energy was still on her back. Worried that the attack had hit her, Star turned her head and searched for damage. Unfortunately, she was right. A purple fiery hole was eating away her right wing. Before she could wash away the shock, the dark flames finished devouring their prey.

Just a moment ago the wand was almost in her grip. Now Star watched as it was running away, following its own path. With arms she desperately tried to manipulate her descent. Instead the ground and the air rapidly swapped their places. Wing clipped, Star's attempts at taming her tumbling ended in even more unpredictable spinning. She gave up and focused on opening a rift. _To where? Doesn't matter. Can you open it below yourself? Don't have a choice._

She tried to channel her magic into a single spot at the moving ground. The constant rotation and brewing motion sickness made her lose focus. With eyes closed, and somewhat ignoring her senses, Star tried again. Nothing happened.

"Come on! I've done this hundred times" she grumbled with frustration. "Why is it not working?!"

The ground was a few seconds away. No more time was left for wasting. Star wrapped arms around herself, squeezed her eyes, and silently prepared for impact. Heartbeat echoed in her mind. Somewhere far away a woman screamed her name.

She did not felt a thing. Her brain simply pushed away her consciousness, protecting it from the overwhelming agony of the body. Like a shooting star, a trail of violet dust led to where Star's flight ended.

 **XXX**

It was the sound of heavy marching, not the pain, that brought Star back from her shutdown. One part warned her to focus on the sound, other demanded to pay attention to her injuries. She carefully opened her eyes. It took a few seconds before the images converged. Dust was still settling from Star's crash-landing. Threatening yells were getting closer.

Standing up was awkward, painful, yet possible. Piece of her chest plate was missing, starting a deep crack around the shoulder. Blonde and rose locks mixed together around Star's forehead. Dull pain in her chest tripled. Breathing was hard and felt uncomfortable. Definitely a broken rib. More yelling, much closer than before. They were not mewmans.

Butterfly wings - they were gone. Overloading jolt from the left arm. That was broken as well. But the right one seemed to be back in working order. Star pulled out her own silver sword and carefully took a battle stance. Metal stomps ringed like a gong. In the dusty clouds menacing silhouettes solidified. She tightened up the grip.

A serpent with axe raised above his head leaped at her. Star precisely stepped away and left his leg with a deep cut. Thin furry creature tried multiple swings with his mace. Each one was getting closer to connecting. Last strike hit and shook the ground. The girl sliced vertically her enemy's back and pushed him away. Two more monsters had already surrounded her. She dodged their synchronized attack, ending in two blades clashing together. Strings of golden hair floated away. Star retreated back, when one of the monsters tried to slice her throat. She pushed the sword away with her own weapon. The other monster attempted to cut her broken arm off. Somehow she found strength to parry away that as well. Her eyes registered two more monsters headed her way _. Oh, come on!_

"Get away from her!" Eclipsa's voice thundered through the skies. Star was surprised how dominating, yet worried she sounded.

The monsters hesitated for a second, then obeyed. They stepped away, but kept their weapons ready. Panting, Star waited till the space around was her own. She watched as the Queen of Darkness was descending, heading this way. She swallowed painfully.

Cold, external force thrust through her back plate and continued. Perfectly sharpened piece of steel broke through Star's chest. She noticed one-eyed monster was shaking, barely moving. He looked confused. Guilty. _Didn't you hear her? She said get away from me!_

Warm liquid gushed in her mouth. It had salty and metallic taste. Oxygen was not enough. With each short breath blood ran down her lower lip, then her chin. _How can I die here?!_ No matter how much air she was getting in, it was never enough. _Pony Head will be so mad. And Rhombulus. And Buff Frog. And Tom. Mommy and papa will..._

Everybody was quiet. Even the nearby battle between monsters and mewmans lacked sound. Only rapid heartbeat echoed in her ears. It was surprisingly peaceful. _Mommy and papa will be devastated. Everybody will be._

Vision was getting monsters looked shocked. Even the just-arrived Eclipsa. _But if I die, who will get monsters and mewmans to live together? Now they will kill each other for sure…_

The world had lost its colors. Through the collapsing tunnel Star could only see the Queen of Darkness. Teary eyes. Hand desperately trying to reach. _I can't let this happen. I can't die yet!_

Gravity pulled Star back. Legs had finally given up. The last ray of light died out. Heavy silence.

 _Not before Mewnie can go on without me._


	2. Day by Day Life

**Day by Day Life**

Arriving early was not something Marco planned on. And of course, he was the only one who did. The black phone in his hand indicated ten minutes till seven. He didn't mind waiting them out.

Orange rays of sunlight brighten up the street, only to be interrupted by deep shadows from nearby buildings. The air had fresh warmth even where light was not reaching. Occasional breeze gently tickled the trees, sending first brown leafs away. Weather was nothing special for late September. It was one of the last late summer days and people of Echo Creek tried to make the best of them. Lively streets and the park were full with man and women of all ages. Marco had a quick look at the "Taco Rey" behind him. Same situation inside. Little hope was left for a nice and quiet dinner with Jackie and their friend.

He checked his phone again. It was ten past seven. No missed calls, no unread messages. Both of them were just a bit late, he had nothing to worry about. Or was there? Last night another search for a missing man was all over the news. Echo Creek was a small town, there were not many places where a person could get lost. Crime was something of an exotic event here. In Marco's opinion that was the sole reason the police officers were not very smart, or physically active. Now with sudden cases of people disappearing the law enforcers had their chance to prove him wrong.

Five more minutes had slipped away. Like an active volcano, Marco's worries built up. Should he call Jackie? What if she is skating, his call distracts her and she crashes somewhere? Suddenly the street had much duskier look. What if somebody had kidnapped her and his call was the only way to distract the kidnapper, giving her a fighting chance? Tremors made Marco misdial two other numbers. He carefully selected Jackie's number when…

"Hey, Marco."

He snapped out of his gloomy world. That smooth voice could not be mistaken. Even when Marco knew who was calling him, he still wanted to confirm it with his own eyes.

With a soft smile Jackie greeted him. Bike helmet and skateboard under her arm were a clear indicator how she got here. Despite that, her skin lacked any signs of sweat, her hairstyle was as perfect as if this was their first date again. Marco's depressing thoughts had vanished.

"You look tense. You've been worried about me, haven't you?"

Marco felt his cheeks going red, despite any attempts stay cool. It was because of shame, but something else as well. Something that surfaced only when Jackie caught him off guard.

"No! I just..."

Sudden kiss on the cheek completely disrupted his thoughts.

"I know you too well, Marco Diaz."

He gave up. Again, Marco could not hide anything from his girlfriend. It was surprising how little time Jackie needed to figure him out. For years he was looking her way, trying to seize every opportunity to talk with her. He learned a lot about what Jackie liked and hated. At some point Ferguson warned Marco he was getting really creepy. Then, a bad chain of events put him in a situation where he had to prematurely confess his feelings. That day the universe did not care if Marco Diaz was ready or not. To his own surprise, two day later Jackie asked him to the school dance. And despite being a total disaster, things took their own course. One summer later and she could read him like a book. And while Marco got to know who Jackie Lynn Tomas was, he still felt "out of sync" with her.

"Dude, are you OK?"

Tiny stars trembled in Jackie's eyes. Her expression was a mix of confusion and worry. Embarrassed, Marco realized he had been silent for way too long. He struggled to find what to say.

"It's nothing" he sighted. Then changed his mind. "It's just that… I think it would be good if we could spend more time together."

"That's what bothers you?" a smile shined on Jackie's face. "I would love to. In fact," she grabbed Marco's hands "I can think of something for tonight. Just you, me and a hilariously bad movie." Her breath reminded him of strawberries.

"Ugh!" a familiar voice interrupted them. Marco and Jackie both turned at the source - a green wall made of well-cut bushes. They were nothing special, except for their pair of brown eyes. One person came into Marco's mind.

"Janna? What the Hell?!"

A short-haired girl with a beanie emerged from the bushes. She did not look happy. Marco figured it was because she had blown her own cover.

"You got me. Hey, Jackie." Janna pulled a tiny branch from her hair and casually tossed it behind.

"How long have you been here?" Marco raised an eyebrow.

"Longer than you."

"Good to see you haven't changed at all."

"Some things never change" she winked. "Anybody hungry?"

"Yeah! I'm starving" Jackie clapped energetically. "Let's get in line, then we'll continue catching up."

Both girls went inside care free, as if moments ago one of them have not admit being a stalker. Marco knew Janna for a long time, but never really got used to her creepy jokes. She also had a serious fascination with the occult world, adding up to Janna's weird personality. And yet, she manages to have a laugh or too with others who had barely any common with. Marco really had hard time understanding her. Maybe he wasn't good in figuring out people at all.

A pair of soft hands grabbed his own, sending warmth up across his arms.

"Let's go, spaceman" Jackie said and pulled Marco inside.

The line seemed to be the same length as when Marco arrived. He poked his head out. At the counter a man, wider than taller, was still choosing his meal. He counted five-six more customers till Janna's turn, then his. Jackie had her gaze locked onto a monitor with pictures of various meals. Marco knew the menu well and had time to think of what to have on the way here. Using this unimportant knowledge, he decided to help Jackie up. His effort was met with shushing. Her expression reminded him of a pet cat staring at the birds outside.

The line moved and Marco stepped forward. He left Jackie to her food-selecting quest. That left only Janna to talk with.

"So, Janna, any fun activities this summer?"

"Oh, please! The most boring two months I ever had. I barely knew anybody in San Anthos. And did anybody asked me if I want to spend the whole summer with my aunt and uncle?" Janna sighted. "Of course not."

"Can't be that bad? I mean clearly you did not go mad from boredom. OK, maybe just a little," Marco had a fake innocent smile.

"Who really knows? Maybe I've already gone crazy." her intonation had Marco doubted if she was joking or not.

"Well if you've gone nuts, then by association, we're also crazy. Right, Jackie?"

The blonde girl kept staring at the monitor. She was in her own little world.

"Don't know about you, but I definitely see potential in her," Janna pointed with her chin at Jackie. The dark haired girl was smiling. It reassured Marco that his friend was not creepier that usual. Something else was different about her. Except for the fingers, Janna's entire right hand was wrapped fresh bandages.

"What happened to your hand?"

"This?" Janna turned her palm a couple of times. "I got burned from helping my cousin with preparing a ritual. We talked with the dead."

"Wait, what? Talked with the dead?" Marco realized his voice was much louder.

"Yup. Good old Lincoln. Always wants to chat about the Civil War. Could come in handy in history class."

"You're kidding, right?"

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't." Janna winked with a casual grin.

"You sure your family is not part of some sort of secret witch-mage society?"

"I wished," she shrugged shoulders.

"Got it!" Jackie leaped over. Tiny stars sparkled in her eyes. Janna looked at her and raised eyebrows. Marco was also curios what his girlfriend was talking about. "Double Burrito Extravaganza!"

Soon came their turn to order. By the time Marco got his meal, Janna and Jackie had taken a table. He sat next to the blonde girl and started eating. Jackie was too busy giving a very lively description of what she and Marco had done for the past two months. One of the more vivid memories was from him trying to learn skateboarding. He relived every hard lesson and its disappointing result. Jackie made sure she had not given up on him and that the lessons will continue. Marco wished there were other less painful ways to spent time together. His left elbow was still bruised and a bit purple.

Then Janna continued with where she had left on the line. The topic about her cousin's collection of mystical books and artifacts had ignited fire in her eyes. Marco concluded fascination with the occult world ran in the family. Last topic was tomorrow - first day of new school year. Getting early, spending whole day behind doors, listening to Miss Skullnick's lumbering voice - their day by day life for the next couple of months. To say enthusiasm was lacking would be an understatement.

By the time they left stars had come out to fill the sky. Janna said goodbye first. That left Marco alone with Jackie and he was not sure what to do. Out of nowhere sleepy weakness had taken over his entire body. But they had plans. Plans he asked for. Just thinking about it made him feel guilty.

Then Jackie suggested leaving it for another evening. Marco was so relief that he repeated her words in agreement. They shared a kiss and each went their own way. Home was not far. Walking gave Marco time to replay the last five minutes. Jackie definitely had noticed how tired he was. When he thought about it, she didn't seemed that energetic as well. Maybe it was from all the junk they ate. Next time they were going to some place where real food is served.

 **XXX**

Dreams rarely left any signs for Marco to remember them by. Usually they would be about his girlfriend or some more exciting event he had.

This one was nothing like it. Vivid, yet details were blurry.

Violet curtain of clouds hid the midnight moon. Marco stood in a cemetery without tombstones. Instead old buildings made of stone blocks surrounded him. Mausoleums. Resting place for dead heroes.

A muffled cry for help echoed. It was coming from one of them. He hastily entered, without having any doubts. Another dull yell. The voice of a girl. It sounded as she was behind a wall.

Inside was a single tomb, also made out of granite. Lanterns with sapphire flames barely lit the room. The covering plate moved a bit, shaking off some of its dust. The girl's voice came from the tomb itself. She was trying to get out. Marco stepped next to the tomb and started pushing. The covering plate moved bit by bit, until it finally fell out. He looked inside, expecting to see somebody. Instead there was only void darkness. A single arm emerged from it, looking for something to grab onto. Marco did not hesitate. He reached for the girl's hand, prepared to pull her out of the void.

Orange ceiling replaced the darkness. He was back in his room. For several minutes he just lied and though about his dream. The more he tried to remember it, the more details slipped away. Eventually he gave up and checked his phone. Fifteen minutes before school starts.

Like a missile, Marco launch himself straight to the bathroom. With one hand he brushed his teeth, while the other worked on fixing his hair. In the mirror it looked like two conductors were fighting over who to lead the symphony.

Macro noticed something red on the right hand. He stopped the grooming ritual and brought it for inspection. On its back was a bloody red drawing. Three flames, each radiating from the other's end, forming a whirling fire. It was very stylish piece of art and an annoying prank. This was definitely one of Janna's tricks. When did she managed to draw over his hand like that?

Standard soap did nothing. From underneath the sink Marco pulled a plastic bottle from a soft beverage, filled with pink liquid. He soaked a towel with it and painfully scrubbed the skin. All he did was making the back of his hand even redder. Whatever Janna had used it was impressively strong.

Too much time was wasted on trying to remove the drawing. Furious with Janna, he dressed up and left. With some luck he would be just in time for the second class.

At first Marco did not care if people saw the strange marks. After all it was a stupid prank. But as more people stared at him, the more it felt something was wrong with him. As if he was cursed. He ended up shoving his hands in the jacket's pockets.

The school bell signaled end of first class and Marco's arrival. On the way there he had figured out a plan. Leave his stuff at the locker, then find Janna before class starts. If not, then get Jackie. She would know how to get rid of the tattoo. And do all that while keeping his hand in the hoodie.

Fate did not make it easy for him. For some reason people were annoyingly friendly. They tried to get all sorts of handshakes, high-fives and fist bumps. Marco either awkwardly used his left arm, or answer with an anxious grin. The worry was getting to him.

He barely survived the way to the lockers. A pleasant surprise waited for him - Jackie herself.

"Oh, thank God! Jackie!" Marco ran to her. "I need your help."

"Sure. But first..." Jackie's pupils jumped around, scanning their surroundings. "Can we talk? Alone." Marco's brain shifted from _I'm having a problem_ , to _what problem could she have_?

"Is something wrong?"

"I'll explain. Follow me." Jackie offered her left hand. It was masked with a fingerless glove.

"What about class? Miss Skullnick will..."

"Marco," Jackie hastily cut him off. "This is important." Now he was even more worried, but did not dare say another word. He took her hand and let be taken away.

Second lesson started with the school bell's ring. From outside it sounded less demanding. Jackie had brought Marco behind the cafeteria. His worry had manifested in the form cold sweat. Windy weather and lack of jacket made it worse. His heart was pumping twice as fast.

"Jackie, what is going on?"

She removed her right glove and showed him.

A red tattoo on her hand's back. Same as his, but with different art. The red outline it looked like a knight shield with a cross inside and pair of angel wings on the side. The style was shockingly familiar. Beneath the drawing was a reddish skin from failed erasing attempts.

"This morning I woke up with this. It's cool and all, but I have no idea what it is. I tried everything to remove it. And, well..." she shook her arm. Even if Jackie was half worried as Marco was, she showed no signs. Or she was taking it really well. He pulled his arm from the hoodie and raised it.

"I have one as well."

Telling somebody was not as relieving as he had hoped for.

"You too? Cool." she smiled for an unknown reason. "Sweet art. Any idea where it came from?"

"My guess it our _good friend_ _Janna_ has something to do with this."

"Seems like her style. She hasn't come to school, though."

"Sneaking in people's houses and drawing over their hands in the middle of the night can be an exhausting experience." Jackie giggled from Marco's remark. His heart had calmed down a bit.

"Speak of the Devil..." Jackie stared at somewhere behind him.

"What's up?" Janna appeared. _Again out of nowhere_. One of her hands was occupied by half-eaten apple. The other cared a backpack.

"Care to explain this?" Marco pointed at his arm. It has taken the form of a fist. The raven-haired girl took a bite from her fruit.

"It's a kickass tattoo. Didn't know you had the guts, Marco."

"Stop playing around. Tell us how to get it off." he said.

"How should I know? I don't work in a tattoo studio. You should ask there."

"You really have no idea, do you?" Jackie asked. Marco though there was a bit of disappointment in her voice.

"No idea about what?" Janna looked confused. Marco sighted. It help him calm a bit.

"This morning I woke up with this on my arm," he pointed at his fist. "No matter what I tried, it doesn't come off. Same with Jackie."

"Maybe someone has cursed you both. Let me see." Janna pulled Marco's hand and started inspecting it. Even now he was still not completely convinced she wasn't playing with them. Yet, in her amber eyes he saw only cold seriousness.

"Oh no..." Janna exclaimed.

"Oh on?!" Marco and Jackie repeated in a perfect synchrony. In a different situation he would find it funny.

"I might have seen something like that in a book..."

"Book? What book?" Marco's voice was getting thinner. Cold sweat ran down his back.

"This book." out of her backpack Janna pulled a black tome. Its thick leather cover lacked any title.

"You care something like that in your backpack?" Marco asked. His voice sounded normal again.

"Yeah, it's a nice read for the bus. You won't believe what a girl can buy off Ebuy. Now let's see..."

Janna started listing through whole set of pages. The waiting was slowly turning Marco into a nerve wreck. Mentally he started counting his breaths. Soft warmth ran up his arm. Jackie had grabbed him by the hand. He gently wrapped his fingers around hers.

"You OK?" she asked with eyes wide opened and thin smile.

"Yeah, I think so."

"Found it!" Janna's yell interrupted their moment.

"What? What does it say?" Jackie shot her with questions. The raven-haired girl deflected them with a finger, demanding silence. After several agonizing seconds for Marco, she responded:

"Marco. Jackie. You've been chosen to participate in the _Holy Grail War_."


	3. War of the Chosen

**War of the Chosen**

Janna's words echoes countless times. What she said made zero sense. Yet, Marco imagined him and Jackie being forced to kill in a name of a religion. It was so ridiculous, he refused to believe it.

"What the hell is _Holy Grail War_?" Marco asked.

Janna changed the page with her bandaged hand. "It says here that every sixty years seven mages are called to battle as Masters. Each summon a powerful Servant to fight on behalf of their own Master. The battle continues until only one Master and his Servant stands. They are declared the winner of the Holy Grail War."

"But we're not mages! Who and why would choose us?" Marco had uncontrollably raised his voice.

"Apparently the Grail himself chooses who to fight for it."

"Fight for it? Is _the Holy Grail_ a metaphor for some kind of princess, waiting to be rescued?"

"No, it's a cup." Janna rolled eyes. "The Holy Grail is a magical artifact. Every sixty years it summons itself. It is the price for winning the Holy Grail War. Huh. So that's why it's called this way."

"But what these have to do with all this?" Jackie raised her marked hand.

"Well, they are your Command Spells. They signify you as a Master and are used to bind a Servant into our world."

"So... seven people summon warriors to fight each other? And the last man standing wins a magical cup?" Jackie raised an eyebrow. Even from her mouth, it sounded ludicrous.

"Not just the cup, but the mana inside the cup." Janna's eyes quickly jumped around the pages. "It's so potent, that both Master and Servant get a wish granted. Any wish."

Now it all made sense. Why such ritual would exist. Why people would be calling for the help of mighty Servants to aid in their battle. Why they would be willing to kill.

Absurd. Janna was making it all up. Her prank has gone too far.

"Let me see that book," Marco pulled the tome out of his friend's grasp. Unexpectedly, she did not protest.

The pages had some wear, nothing like a centuries old book. Text was clearly written with a recognizable old typewriter font. Marco's guess was somewhere from the early 70's. Then there were the drawings. Two-three on every page with description of each. One of them had a recognizable style - same as the tattoo on his hand. Simple description beneath: _Master's three Command Spells._

Any doubt was shattered. The Holy Grail War was real. Chills ran down Marco's spine.

"Something wrong?" Jackie gently put her arm on his shoulder. Warmth radiated from where her skin touched the hoodie. This time it felt weird. A knot in his stomach was getting painfully tight.

"What's wrong? All this is wrong!" Too late Marco realized he was yelling at his girlfriend. In Jackie's eyes he probably looked hysteric. And why shouldn't be - he just found out he had become part of a ritual where seven people are trying to kill each other, for a wish. And the girl next to him was part of it too. How Jackie was not as concerned as him was the real mystery here.

The school bell echoed. Its metal ringing was something so familiar, so normal. Marco's knot loosen up. Now he noticed Jackie's look, all mixed with shock and worry. The cool and cheerful girl he had known for years had disappeared. It was because of him, and that scared Marco even more than the Holy Grail War. He felt the need to apologize, make clear his outburst was out of concern for them.

"Jackie, I..." he let a deep breath. Words suddenly became easy to form. "This is crazy. We're not mages. Participating in this war will get us both killed. There must be a way out if it."

"I can check that out, if you give me my book back." Janna pulled the tome out of Marco's arms. He did not stop her. All he wanted now is to hear Jackie saying it was OK. To see her gentle smile grow again.

"Marco, I understand" the blonde girl smiled sadly. Sudden gust of wind tried to ruin her hair, but it failed. "This is not something we are supposed to be part of. And if there is a way out, then we go out."

"Thanks, Jackie. And sorry for bursting out like a madman." Marco felt his cheeks getting warmer. A summer spent together was not enough to get over old habits.

"As I said, Marco Dias, I understand." She kindly kissed him. "Let's go to class. Right now, Ms. Skullnick is a bigger threat, than any mage."

 **XXX**

The middle-aged woman finished writing a set of formulas. Half of the chalkboard was filled with them. She proceed explaining with the enthusiasm of a potato. Marco did not register any of it.

He finished repeating everything Janna had told him about the Holy Grail War. Seven mages fighting for it using powerful Servants. The only way to win was if only one of the Masters is left alive. As Masters lacking any magical skills, he and Jackie were the easiest targets. Plus they had no idea how to summon their own Servants. If anybody found out they were Masters, things would get ugly. Marco made sure his right hand was well hidden the red hoodie.

All this was for getting a wish come true. If the Holy Grail can really grant any wish, it was definitely an attractive offer. That is if you prove to be the strongest and win. And even if by some miracle that happened, what wish could he have? So far life was going good. Then Jackie became a more personal part of it. And it was great. Maybe he could wish for something stupid, like no school for a year, or finally learn how to use skateboard. Becoming a master in karate was also on the table.

Winning the Grail by anybody was equal to him or Jackie losing their lives. A picture of grim end was forming in Marco's mind. He brushed it away before it took colors. Part of him was afraid of thinking about it. Afraid that this would challenge fate and before he knew it, the nightmare would have become reality.

Ms. Skullnick was still explaining her writings. To improve his gloomy mood, Marco's look turned at Jackie. She had her head tilted on one side in a way that Marco could not meet her eyes. Hand with a fingerless glove supporting her. It was pretty clear Jackie was not in the classroom. Marco was sure her thoughts were in the same place where his just left.

With a dusty sponge and slow strokes, Skullnick was busy cleaning up the board. Marco discreetly turned back to check on Janna. The raven haired girl was busy reading. On the cover was written "Physics", but the textbook seemed unnaturally thick. Hiding your read behind another - old, but good trick. Marco hoped by the end of the class Janna would have answers for him. And by the end of the day, life would go back the way it was supposed to be for a teenage school boy.

The bell signaled end of class imprisonment and start of lunch time. Chatting cheerfully, boys and girls flooded the classroom exit. Ms. Skullnick desperately tried to get their attention. Any other day Marco would care if what she was yelling was important for his grades or not. Now he failed to remember if she had made some sarcastic comment for him skipping classes.

Most of his classmates were gone. Jackie and Janna were not in sight as well. One step out of the classroom was enough, before Ferguson blocked his way.

"Yo, Marco! Wanna get lunch together? Alfonzo will be there too."

"Sorry, but I have some stuff to work out first."

"Dude, is something wrong? Did you had a fight with Jackie?"

"No, I-"

Marco stopped. His marked hand was almost out of the hoodie. Ferguson was a long-time friend. They had some really goofy moments together and kinda bonded over them. One of the few people Marco was always comfortable talking with about everything. And that's why he could not tell Ferguson about the Holy Grail War. Involving him was not only unnecessary, but dangerous. Some Master could figure out using Marco's friends as a leverage and kidnap any of them. Or do something worse. Who knew how crazy a man could be, if he had to fight with others to get his single wish granted.

"Things are fine with Jackie. Right now, I can't talk about it." Marco walked out of the classroom, still facing Ferguson. "I'll tell you all when it's done. Believe me, you want to hear this."

Guilt was the current dominating emotion. Guilt that he had to dump one of his best friends, to go meet with Jackie and Janna. Marco imaged how the situation looked like from Ferguson's perspective. He did not handle it well. When he and Jackie get out of the Holy Grail War, this was the first mistake getting fixed.

Jackie and Janna were waiting for him behind the school cafeteria. Smell of fried chicken distracted Marco for a moment. Not that his stomach was ready for any meal right now. Both girls seemed to be on the same tune as well.

Jackie stood silently, with arms crossed, and listened. The raven haired girl moved around the pages, citing text from them. None had noticed Marco's arrival.

"Did you find anything?" he asked.

"Oh. Hey, Marco" Jackie turned at him. "Janna, tell him what we've found."

"Well, there is a ritual that you can perform to give up your rights as a Master. You do that, you lose your Command Spells - you're out of the game."

First good news of the day. Now they could avoid all that magical mess, and never worried about it again. Only if it was so simple...

"Then, why are we not doing it right now?" Marco questioned.

"If you give up, then the Grail will find someone to replace you." Janna shrugged shoulders. "And that seems to be a problem."

"Marco, I know how much you want us to stay out of this." Jackie said. "But if we give up, then who knows what kind of people will take our places."

"Someone who is better suited to fight in the War?" Marco's voice slowly raised its pitch.

"Or someone crazy and reckless. These _Servants_ areserious business. They can even destroy Echo Creek. What if some guy wants to do just that, whenever he replaces one of us, or not?"

"Jackie, this is not our fight. We can't handle something like that. For God's sake, we are in high school! Let the police deal with it."

Janna left a smirking sound. "Like that idiots are prepared for something like the Holy Grail War. Face it, Marco, we are already involved."

He knew what Jackie wanted, but refused to believe it. Not unit she said it out loud.

"Jackie, you know how I feel about this. So tell me, what do you suggest we do?"

"I suggest we don't make decisions without thinking them through. Or else, one day, we might regret them."

What was there to think about? The Holy Grail War was out of their league. Even if Jackie had a valid points about it. It was dangerous, not just for them. Collateral damage was part of every battle. With or without Servants, could they really stop others from wrecking destruction? Marco had no idea. They indeed had almost no info on what exactly was the Holy Grail War, how it all worked. His decision was a hit on both on his logic and pride.

"Alright, I admit - we barely know anything about the Holy Grail War."

"But we have a book with tons of info on it." Janna pointed at the black tome. She did not bother lifting eyes from it.

"Right. Let's see what we can learn from it. Give us a day to think this through. And tomorrow, we decide what to do about it. How's that?" Now that he said it out loud, it was a fine compromise.

"That sounds like something only Marco Diaz would suggest," Jackie answered with a glad smile. "And it's a great idea."

 **XXX**

The Sun was settling behind the horizon, when Marco got home. After school, he, Jackie and Janna went to one of the more discrete places at the park. Several hours passed in reading about the Holy Grail War. From time to time an ambiguous description ignited a discussion, leaving them with more questions. But the basic rules remained unchanged, no matter how anybody tried to interpreter them. And that was not even half of the book.

Marco entered his house and closed the door. Tension from his muscles suddenly eased up. It made him realize how much the Holy Grail War was affecting him, even if nothing had happened yet. He also realized how normal his home was. In a good way. His mother popped out of the kitchen. Marco made sure both his hands were hidden in his hoodie.

"Good evening, Marco Diaz." Her intonation signaled trouble for him. Hearing his full name confirmed it.

"He-hey, Mom. I mean... hi."

"Marco, Miss Skullnick just called. She told me you skipped a couple of classes."

"Two. Only two," he corrected her.

"Is something wrong? Are you feeling well?" She was staring at him with both suspicion and worry. It made him even more uneasy.

"I-I am fine. This morning I was a bit under the weather. But it passed away and I went to school. It must have been something I ate."

"You didn't looked that well yesterday either. That's it! Tonight my boy will have all the healthy veggies in the house." With that, Mrs. Diaz jumped back into the kitchen.

Only vegetables for dinner? _OK, that backfired_. Yet, it was easier than explaining the whole reason why he didn't make it to school on time. Not that there was any way he would do it. Marco decided to let this one slide and went to the living room. He dropped himself on the couch and turned on the TV. Didn't care what was on. Having the TV producing noise was good enough disguise.

His mother was right - last night he came back so tired, that he skipped brushing teeth and went straight to bed. Then came this very vivid dream. For some reason Marco couldn't remember anything about it at all. And on the next morning - magical seals on his arm. That was not a coincidence. _That's how the Grail works_ he explained to himself. Surely, the fatigue from becoming a Master wouldn't be so severe, if he was an experienced mage.

The TV's picture transitioned into a news reporter in his studio. And what was a Master anyway? According to Janna's book the Grail picks seven people, each to summon a Servant. That alone is not enough. In order to become a Master, a Servant must form a contract with you, giving you authority over him. Then you're officially a Master and recognized as a participant in the Holy Grail War. Every other Master gets full rights to go after your head. Same as getting a gun and putting a bull's eye on your back. Taking the target off was easy - you give up your rights as a Master and you're out of the game. Masters did not need to die, in order for them to lose the War. Servants were all the Grail needed to be activated. An important rule, if anybody wants to go out of its way to honor it.

On the flat screen two man vigorously discussed something. Both fought over taking the word from one another. A line of scrolling text complemented the chaos.

Marco stopped at the next big topic - Servants. A powerful magical warriors, known as Heroic Spirits. Whatever that means. Summoning one was possible, even if you were not a mage - the book had very detailed chapter on how to do it. Maybe he and Jackie were not the first normal humans to participate in the Holy Grail War. Summoning a Servant was easier than having one. Each needed huge upkeep of magical energy. The Grail takes care of it, mostly. Still, Masters have a direct connection to their Servants and can supply them with mana to keep strong and recover them from battles. Marco had no idea how he could do it. Maybe it happens on its own and he just had to eat more, or something like that. Lastly, Masters with contracts are anchors to Servants in this world. If the contract is broken, say by killing the Master, a Servant will stay for a very limited time, draining their own magical energy, and disappear.

Now the TV was showing a various graphs, statistics for something. A bald man pointed at each graph, explaining to the rest of the world what they meant.

Command Spells. Some kind of magical energy, given to each Master in pair of three. Their lesser role is binding Servant's will to their Master to some degree. Main purpose is forcing a Servant into executing a direct order, or making them perform impossible feats. But there is a catch. Each use costs a Command Spell. Use all of them, and the contract is revoked. No Servant - no Master. Marco could not imagine what would be this important, that you have to order your Servant to do regardless of his willing.

A news reporter and a police man filled the plastic frame of the TV. For some reason Marco decide to pay attention to them. They talked about more missing people. This time they were a family of a boy, a girl, and their parents. Jackie' warning re-surfaced. For the last week people have been vanishing without a trace. Now the Holy Grail War was about to start. A Master and his Servant could be behind this. But without any evidence, how could Marco go to the police. Even with proof, would anybody believe him?

His heart was racing for no reason. It was all a wild speculation. For all he knew, the missing people might have gone to a vacation without telling anyone. Or they could be doing something stupid, just to get someone's attention. Or a regular kidnapper could be on the loose. Situations the Echo Creek police should be capable of handling. He let out a deafened laugh. _Contradicting yourself too much, Marco Diaz?_

The news report had ended. Marco stared at the screen without actually seeing what was on it. His determination to get out of the Holy Grail War drifted for another hour.


	4. Call to Battle

**Call to Battle**

Morning breeze sent yellowed leaves into a chaotic dance. Passing through reoccurring sets of shadows and light lacked any temperature change. It signified the early mid-September morning. Not quite summer, not quite fall.

Walking side by side, Marco and Jackie had the rare luxury of being alone. Headed for the same old Echo Creek High. Both had opted for an early wake-up and skip the bus all together. To give them the all-needed time to talk. But chatter was coming only from the morning birds. Except for their occasional songs silence dominated. Marco wondered what exactly the scenery was - peaceful or creepy. Jackie spoke first:

"I've been thinking a lot. You're not going to like this."

She paused and simply stared at Marco. Her expression told him she was waiting for something. When it did not happened, Jackie continued:

"We should participate the Holy Grail War. Not to win, but to stop others from abusing their powers, and turn our town into a battlefield."

The same point she made before. An opinion he agreed with - this as a war. In the past humans had gone too far to win. Both sides of a conflict ended slaughtering the other in mutually crippling battles. Just thinking about it made Marco shiver.

"Some idiot might decide to use humans as mana source. I want us to be there and stop him."

The rule about human souls being good source for magical energy. Janna's book was unquestionably specific about it. Good option for non-mage Master, who wants to empower his Servant. And if you are a real mage, it could be a necessary advantage. A bloody advantage. Marco could swore the air just got colder.

"This is an opportunity to protect our friends, out families. And I'm fine with not winning the Grail. No wish is worth the lives of others." Flames burned in both Jackie's eyes, and words.

"You're right," Marco interrupted her. "I don't like it."

He stopped and grabbed Jackie's hands. Through the leather gloves her skin warmed his fingers. The girl's expression had a mix of certainty and disapproval. Marco solidified his next sentences and continued:

"I want to get this behind us and continue our boring high school lives. The Holy Grail War is a dangerous game for its participants."

As he let the words out his determination weakened. Marco's mind jumped around conflicting decisions. The heat from Jackie's hands climbed through his arms. She had tighten her own grip, pushing him to say whatever he had out loud. Instead, her soft warmth felt like a glowing fireplace in a dusky winter.

"It is also dangerous for everybody else. Leaving people to their own chances, when I have the opportunity to help them - it's not me. That's why for the last six years I've been taking karate lessons," he let a sight for courage. "That's why I will join you in the Holy Grail War."

Marco expected some reaction, any reaction from Jackie. Instead she just stared at him. Light twinkled in her eyes. This decision wasn't only for her, but it was she wanted to hear, right? Or had he failed completely to understand Jackie again? With every moment similar thoughts crawled their way.

Suddenly both her arms were around him. The hug was so tight, Marco had to release all the air in his lungs.

"Thank you," Jackie whispered. The words' softness made his world lighter. Marco hugged her back. Now that he was on Jackie's side, he had only one thing left to ask. Before it got lost in the calming embrace, he said it:

"One condition. If things get too hot, we bail. I won't be able to protect anyone without you."

Instead of an answer, she gave him a gentle kiss. What they were getting into, Marco was not absolutely sure. And never would be. But now he had two strong reasons to participate in the Holy Grail War. The other had become relevant since the latest news reports.

"Speaking of helping people, you heard about the mysterious disappearances lately? Can a Master be behind this?"

"I don't know. But we will find out together."

 _Always with that gentle smile._ Marco scratched his head. "When I wanted to spend more time with you, this was not what I imagined."

 **XXX**

Janna was overexcited to hear Marco and Jackie's decision. And that was just the frosting on the cake. Someone had to help them with the summoning itself. Someone who had some idea what he is doing. Since Janna is well-known for her strong interest in the occult world, there really was no better choice. And she was ready to help if they agreed to a single term – Janna was to be with them through the whole Holy Grail War. Even the battles. Of course none of them approved. It was going to be dangerous enough for Marco and Jackie, and both would be guarded by their Servants. For Janna to be with them was reckless and unsafe at best. But she did not agree and used two arguments: Marco and Jackie would be there to protect her, and she was the one with the book. Janna really did not leave them any choice.

As for the summoning, Marco actually volunteered to be first. His logic was if anything goes wrong, Jackie would be left unharmed. This reason - the only reason - remained Marco's own secret. Their arrangement was for this evening. Janna wanted to perform the summoning ritual at her house. Instead, they went with Marco's decision and agreed to do it in his garage. Because tonight his parents would be out till late, and because he felt comfortable in his castle. After school, while the raven-haired girl was getting necessary materials, Marco and Jackie spent the rest of the day at the park. All discussed topics were about the Holy Grail War and tonight's summoning.

When they arrived at Marco's house, half-full moon was the dominating sky body. His mom and dad should be already out. He checked the house's door. As expected, it was locked. Then Marco had a thorough examination of his home. Not a single living soul.

Pleased, and a little nervous that things were as planned, he and Jackie went to the backyard. Janna should be here soon, bringing who-knows what. Marco had forgotten to ask exactly how much space she would need. _A lot_ was the safest answer. Thus, a quick cleanup of the garage was in order. He reached for the door's handle, when Jackie pulled his hand.

"Stop." she whispered. With a finger she pointed above Marco. "Someone is inside."

Mildly conused, he looked up. On the garage two tiny windows gave out what she meant: both had an orange tint. Marco recognized the color of a weak light bulb. His hand was shivering. What an awful time to deal with a burglar. Should they call the police, or try to catch him on the crime scene? What if the thief was armed? Then was an ambush the smarter choice?

One of Marco's hands had grabbed the door handle. The other had taken the shape of a blade. Breathing was faster than normal, not by much though. His body had made the decision for him. The door's explosive opening trigged an adrenaline rush. With arm in the air, Marco jumped inside. As a karate yell left his mouth, he wondered why he warned the burglar. But the battle wave had already swept him. Neither was, nor had any time for second thoughts.

What a shock was when the thief turned out to be Janna. All the energy Marco had gathered in his attack, he tried to restrict it. His effort was enough to awkwardly change motion, and end up on the floor. Marco swiftly got back on his knees. Jackie had joined them in the garage.

"Hey, guys." The raven-haired girl causally greeted them.

"Janna!" Marco rubbed his back. "How did you get inside my garage?"

"I came early. Your dad let me in. Cool guy."

"Did you tell him anything? I'm trying to keep as minimal people involved as possible."

"Some lame school project excuse." With a thumb, Janna pointed behind. "How else do you think I got all these stuff in?"

Now Marco noticed the garage was not the same unordered chaos of boxes, as he remembered. Everything was piled up into semi-stable mountains. So much more space was left free and passable. It made the garage looked twice as big as Marco knew it.

His focus shifted at the floor. A large dark circle filled most of the freed space. It had secondary circle inside and unreadable writings in between. Just like a magical circle from a video game, only less detailed. Marco though it was drawn with chalk, but the smell of burned wood said otherwise.

"Is this all for summoning a single Servant?" he asked.

"I still have to finish the circle and get other thing ready. Help me out, Marco."

Janna kneeled before a lying backpack and dipped inside. While she searched, Jackie checked the outside world, then slowly closed the door. A finger snapping sound echoed and Janna stood up. Her hand passed a necklace to Marco.

"Here. Put this in at the circle's center."

He made a quick inspection of the object. A small round spider with two large cartoonish eyes, attached to a string. It could be mistaken for a toy, if it wasn't for the black, shiny material it was made of. Marco could not figure out a name of any precious metal like that.

"Janna, what is this?" he asked. The girl was holding a small painting brush and a solid bottle.

"This is the catalyst," she dipped inside the bottle. "It will help you out with the summoning." Then Janna started drawing a triangle inside the summoning circle. Marco's look sought Jackie for help. She answered with raising both hands and eyebrows. Still uncertain, he placed the necklace down, as ordered.

"There is a bag with gems in the backpack. We need seven of them."

Jackie dipped inside and pulled a black pouch. Inside she revealed dozens of small rounded stones. Each was in one of the seven rainbow colors, only darker.

"So pretty. What are those?" she asked.

"Special stones made of pure metals." Janna said. "They're needed for the ritual itself. Use only one of each color."

While both girls were busy, Marco stood away and waited for instructions. Just standing, while watching his friends being busy felt uncomfortable. Jackie finished placing all seven stones and joined him. Both silently watched as Janna connected lines inside the circle, forming perfectly symmetrical shapes. Aside from her pranks, this was one of the few things Marco saw her putting so much effort into. Janna carefully inspected her own artwork.

"Perfect! Now comes the juicy part." The way she said it gave Marco chills. "Your turn Marco."

"It is ready?" he walked next to her.

"Almost." Janna pulled a pocket knife and passed it to him. "We need some blood from the caster itself."

"Is this necessary? I'm not going screw this up and summon a demon, right?"

"The instructions are very clear on this. You can check the book yourself, if you want to."

Hesitating, Marco played with the knife.

"Is it even safe? The knife looks kinda dirty..."

"Oh, quit whining."

"Hey, I don't want to wake up with an infected hand."

"There is nothing wrong with my knife! I even got it sterilized."

"Marco, chill out." Jackie interrupted them. "If you're not OK with cutting your own hand, I can do it for you."

She had read his unwillingness. He trusted Jackie enough to give her the knife. But something, maybe pride, made him reject her offer.

The cut on his left palm turned out short and not very deep. His hand slowly started filling with red liquid. Pain progressed from pinching to sharp. By instinct his clenched teeth and for a microsecond the pain was replaced with something more tolerable. Marco turned his hand upside down. Drop by drop, his blood became part of the drawing under his shoes. After a dozen drops Jackie took his injured hand. Using a little white bottle and some cotton she cleaned the wound, then covered it with a medical patch.

"What else?" Marco asked with a strict voice.

"One last step." Janna passed him a torn notebook page. "You will have to read the incantation."

"That's it? And the Servant will just appear, like that?"

"That's the plan. But it won't be your Servant, until you officially form a contract with him."

"Right. How do I do that again?"

Janna shrugged shoulders. "I don't know. Ask the Servant."

He rolled eyes. "Great. Why didn't I figure that out?"

The torn piece of paper had three small handwritten paragraphs. The spell itself, while was written in English, it made zero sense. Marco awkwardly read the first paragraph. A corner of his mind wondered if Janna was not messing with him again. Then, a faint glow beneath attracted his attention. The circle's dark paint had become emerald. Uncertain if this was alright, he turned at the girls. Both of them looked mesmerized, even the _expert_ Janna. That was one way to say Marco was on the right track.

He continued with the second paragraph. The circle flowed into fiery red. Its outline slowly shifted, reminding Marco of a boiling water. Distorted air around him reinforced the idea. It emitted sound mix of wind gusting and heart beating. Feeling of energy surge came from Marco's hand. It crawled all around his body. His Command Spells were burning red.

"Janna, is this normal?" he yelled.

"None of this is normal, Marco," the raven-haired girl called back. "You're doing fine, if that's what you're asking."

Not the reassurance he was looking for. Something was telling him she was right. He felt uncertain and energized. Not scared, in pain, or weird in any way.

The final paragraph remained. Because of the howling sound Marco felt the need to read it out louder. As he approached the last sentence, his garage changed. It was dominated by fiery light, making shadows dance rapidly. The burning circle underneath him fully spun once every second. A barrier of flames had formed around it. Yet, the only heat was generated from Marco's own alertness.

He yelled the last remaining words. For a moment the circle turned into glowing pit. Blinding light from a sun burned away every detail of his surroundings. Exploding sound rode its own shock wave through Marco, knocking him down.

Then all he could see was floating darkness. He was hearing only his own heart pumping to meet his body's demand. Smell of burned wood hit his nose. The result of the summoning ritual. Was it supposed to explode like that, nobody could really tell.

The darkness became mostly still, but it gained some volume. Moonlight from a shattered window confirmed Marco had not gone blind. He sat on the cold floor and tried to make sense of whatever his eyes could register. His focus fell not on the veil of smoke, but what was behind it. Glowing edges shaped a silhouette of an armor, similar to a video game character. The shadowy figure moved and the world became too bright again. Only this time it was like turning the lights on. After a painful second Marco's vision adapted to the new light source. To his surprise, the shadowy figure was a human standing in front of him.

As tiny dust clouds dispersed, the person's details became clear. The silver chest plate shaped female curves almost perfectly. Below the waist the girl was protected by what seemed to be sky blue dress, with very detailed ornaments sewn onto it. In the gauntlet she had a torch painted in purple, and its light was not that of a warm fire, but clear as a house lamp.

A girl, around same age as him. No helmet to protect her head, only a silver headband with two small, but sharp horns. Her golden blonde hair was well hidden in a chignon, except for two curvy locks next to each ear. Adding the two hearts on her cheeks, she looked like somebody out of anime cosplay. This was the Servant. There was no other remotely plausible explanation.

Her deep blue eyes were focused at Marco. They completed the picture of this otherworldly warrior. Strength, nobility, charm - all she emitted just by standing there. Her expression showed a lot of determination and a little of something else.

"Are you the Master who summoned me?" she asked with a serious voice, interrupting Marco's line of thoughts.

"Y-yes, that is me," he hastily stood up and dusted himself. "Hi. My name is Marco Diaz."

"Hello, Marco Diaz," she made a polite smile. "You can call me _Archer_."


	5. Contract

**Contract**

Night breeze gently stroke the girl's blonde locks. Marco would have been stressing over the garage's broken windows, if it wasn't for the stranger with a glowing stick.

"Archer? Is that like... your real name?" he awkwardly asked.

"Of course not! It's my Servant class." she answered.

On one hand, this sounded better than having a noun for a name. On the other, this was the first time Marco heard of Servants having classes. He turned at the expert on this stuff. Half-lit, half in shadows, Janna was sitting down and stared past Marco.

"Janna, what is a _Servant class_?"

Next to her, Jackie also stared at the newcomer.

"Oh, yeah." Janna responded with poorly hidden excitement. "Each Servant is chosen from one of the seven classes. It's kinda like a video game."

Mentally, Marco beat himself for forgetting to check on his girlfriend.

"Exactly! Only more... murdery." The armored girl looked at Janna. "Who are you again?"

"I'm Janna. I'm the one with the book."

Was Jackie hurt? Under the weak illumination no injuries were visible. But the explosion was powerful enough to knock Marco down.

"A book? I used to have one of those," the Servant said. "Anyway, at least one mage knows what's going on here."

"I'm not a mage. Actually, none of us are." Janna said.

What if Jackie had been injured? And Marco completely ignored her.

"You're joking, right?"

"I wished. It would been awesome to go around and turn people into pigs, or something."

What was wrong with him?

Someone called Marco by his whole name. He snapped out of his depressing thoughts. For a second, or for an hour, the girls were trying to get his attention.

"Marco Diaz!" Archer snapped.

Marco almost jumped. "Yes, I'm here!"

"Do a Levitato," she ordered.

Marco blinked. Did he hear that right? Even so, his brain failed to find any reasonable meaning.

"What do you mean _do a potato_?" Definitely not what was asked of him.

Archer's expression dropped. "Oh my Mewnie. You're really not mages."

"So what if we're not?" Jackie asked.

Archer took a deep breath. "Look, you seem like a nice bunch, but this is not going to work out."

Marco prepared a plausible argument why not having magical powers was not that bad. Before he even started, Archer turned her back and walked away. Without saying anything else, she left Marco and the girls in the dark. After the difficult change of heart about the Holy Grail War. After all the trouble to summon a Servant. She just left.

Marco wasn't letting her go that easily.

 **XXX**

Under the moonlight and its night surroundings, the silver armor shined. Only dimmed house windows and orange streetlamps were brighter. With a natural pace, Archer passed by the neighbors' house. As Marco caught up to her, took a look at him.

"Wait! What do you mean _it's not going to work out_? Where are you going?" he asked.

Archer did not slow down. "A Master is supposed to support his Servant and keep him strong by channeling mana into him. If you're not a mage, there is no way you'll able to keep up. It's too dangerous for someone like you."

"I know that. Regardless, I still choose to join the War. With a strong Servant like you, I'll manage."

Something he said made Archer stop. Her gloomy expression confused him.

"You don't understand. I _must_ win the Holy Grail War. For that, I need a strong Master. One that is an _actual mage_."

That was not true. Marco understood Archer's point. Just yesterday he would have taken her side without a second though. The Grail did not need a mage to participate in the fights for it. But if you wanted to maximize your odds of winning, being one seemed mandatory. Getting any wish to become reality was a strong motivation for the Masters. Now Marco realized it was strong motivation for the Servants as well. Strong enough to make one abandon the Master who summoned her.

Glowing street lamps formed a path to downtown. Archer walked it. The distance between the blonde and Marco grew. Her pace wasn't any different from before. He stopped and searched. Desperately searched for something, anything to make her come back and talk this through. Not for him, or for any dumb wish. For Jackie. For her safety. For her smile.

"What if I prove to you that I am good enough Master?" the words slipped through. Their confident tone surprised even Marco.

She definitely heard him. What other reason could be for Archer to stop and look back at him.

"Oh yeah? How are you gonna do that?" she asked.

Marco ignored the skepticism.

"You're a warrior, right?"

"Kinda. I do _warrior_ stuff."

 _This is-_

"Let's have a quick fight. Non-lethal fight."

 _-crazy!_

"A fight?" Archer clearly was not sure if he was serious.

"If I win, you will form a contract with me. If you win, then I won't stop you from leaving."

"In case you forgot, I'm a Servant. Do you have any clue what you're asking for?"

The moonlit armor made Archer more intimidating than she sounded. Marco didn't answer. Not because part of his conscious feared what he was getting into. Not because his proposition was that only an idiot would made. But because he might gave away all those thoughts. Then the battle with Archer would be lost before any strike was made.

"Fine. You win," she gave up. "But I'm only doing this to show you why the Holy Grail War is not a place for you."

"You two are really going to fight?" Jackie's voice came out of nowhere.

Both she and Janna were a dozen meters away from Marco. Their eyes rarely were so wide. The girls were just standing there and heard maybe the last few sentences, maybe the whole conversation. Despite having nothing to hide from them, Marco felt little uncomfortable from being _spied on_.

"Are you freakin' out of your mind?" Janna sounded uncharacteristically disturbed. "She is a Servant! You're gonna get wrecked!"

As expected, the raven-haired girl had no confidence in him. And to be fair, she made a painfully good point. Marco was ready to defend his position, but then Jackie approached him. As she took his hands, the arguments sunk somewhere.

"Marco, you don't have to do this. We can get you another Servant."

Didn't expect it from her. To not believe in him as well, despite how the facts were stacked against Marco. Or she didn't want him to get hurt. It was important for him to understand. But not right now.

"We both know I won't get a second chance," he said. "Besides, you know me - I have a plan."

If Marco had to be more accurate, he had an idea and not enough time to think it through. All the way to the park he continued to mold it into something reasonable. The girls were busy entertaining Archer with their questions. Or leaving Marco to focus.

The digital clock on his phone showed it was too late to have anybody at the park. Marco hoped that was the case. Fortunately, the place had good enough illumination to show how empty it was. Even the occasional dog owners were missing. Nighttime desolation. The worry of someone spotting them was lifted.

First Marco explained the rules to Archer. The goal was to knock your opponent down, on his back. No weapons, no armor, no magic, only hand-to-hand combat. Some zones of the human body were forbidden to be attacked. Those were the major rules. A dozen more he used from kumite for tournaments. All of them were picked with one goal in mind - to restrict Archer. Some protests were expected from her. Instead, she casually agreed with everything he said. Her confidence shook his own.

A clearing, covered with nothing but grass, was their ring. Both Marco and Archer took their places. As only spectators, Jackie and Janna stood on the side, next to two wooden benches. The girls didn't used them.

Marco prepared himself both mentally and physically. The pain from his cut hand sunk in the back, but didn't disappear. He pushed the fears, the doubts, the weight. Just how Sensei had taught him. He was ready. Same could not be said about Archer. While her sword was in the sheath, the silver armor still protected her.

"Um, Archer. The armor?" his question both reminded and invited.

She smacked herself on the forehead, like a normal girl. Then Archer's expression changed from joyful to concentrated. The shoulder plates, the chest piece, the gauntlets, her entire armor turned into glowing snowflakes, and evaporated. Only the sapphire blue dress remained. With the exception of knot hairstyle and silver headband, it was a completely new look. She reminded Marco of a princess from a video game.

"I'm ready!" she smiled and took a battle stance.

It was time. He didn't know what she was capable of. Same goes for Archer - she was not aware that Marco a good amount of karate training. The difference was in the attitude - she was confident, cocky, while he was disciplined and on his guard. The element of surprise was his last advantage.

His eyes met Jackie's. Her worried looked reminded him once again this was not the best idea. It was the only one. With a serious smile, Marco nodded at her. Jackie lowered both hands, giving the signal to begin.

Back on the improvised ring Archer was already dashing at him. Experience told Marco a strong attack was coming. He dodged a high kick with less margin for errors than expected. He noted Archer's speed. Fist met for his head followed and barely missed. With a light hop he put some distance in between. Archer looked a bit surprised. She cut the distance twice as fast. A kick swung at his feet. As expected. He jumped over her attack, heading straight for ducked Archer. At the last moment his chop was stopped by both her hands. Advantage was still on his side. His side kick had enough strength to tumble Archer over. One hand parried it, barely moving her. Left unchecked, Archer's left fist smacked into Marco's ribcage. Next thing he remembered was how clean the night sky was, how uncomfortably soft the grass was.

The last twelve seconds replayed over and over. Three types of pain dulled Marco's senses. His chest, close to where the heart was hidden, it hurt. Being defeated by a single blow, while laying none at all, it hurt. Losing the only chance to protect Jackie and other in the upcoming Grail War, it hurt.

Reality sank into Marco's mind. Archer appeared over him and offered her hand. She looked energetic and kind.

"I hate to burst your bubble, but you really didn't stand a chance," she said.

"Your fist already burst it."

With her help, Marco was back on his feet. Just in time to see worried Jackie and Janna arriving. Both were half way out of breath. He wanted to say something to his girlfriend.

"Now you see how dangerous a Servant can be?" Archer's gentle look was gone, replaced by a serious one. "Even without a weapon, I could have killed you easily. The Holy Grail War is not a place for normal people."

Gust of wind lightly wobbled Archer's dress. The effect strangely made her words heavier. For a moment, Marco doubted his and Jackie's decision. Only for a moment.

"You're right. For everything," a fire of emotions burned inside Marco. "And when someone like you started hurting people and wrecking chaos in this town, who is going to stop him? The other Masters? Or they will be too busy killing each other?"

He took Jackie's hand in a strong grip. Her warmth helped taming the fire inside.

"I want to be that person. I want to protect the ones I care about and the others."

Archer crossed arms. "So what? Don't tell me you will be going after the other Servants, just to make sure they won't do something stupid."

"Not in this life time. Especially after our fight. On my own I can't do much. Still, I will find a way to help."

To his surprise, Archer went silent. Waiting for a response, Marco noticed her glare was focused elsewhere. Somewhere through him, at something that was not here. Just as he started to feel awkward, she blinked and looked back at him.

"Look, summoning a Servant is not easy, especially if you're not a mage. Yet, you and your friends pull it off. And without blowing up your dungeon. I'm impressed."

Still fired up, Marco almost missed that Archer complemented him. A kind smile had grown on her face. He wondered where she was headed with this.

"Despite not being a mage, you have potential," she continued. "Your fighting style really surprised me. It surprised me that you can fight at all. Unlike most mages. Not being your typical Master can be handy."

The girl turned her head away. Eyes, hidden under shadows and bangs, trembled. Her voice soften up.

"And your reason to fight - I can relate to that."

With a hand she covered her eyes. Marco was completely lost. Clearly something bothered Archer. Was it something he said? Just watching her felt awkward. He was ready to ask if she was alright, when the girl whispered something to herself. Marco only caught up the ending: "they are counting on you".

Archer turned back at him. As if he had done something wrong, Marco pretended he didn't heard anything. Cold sweat ran down his forehead.

Archer made a cheerful smile. "I've decided to form a contract with you and officially recognize you as my Master."

Both Jackie and Janna's eyes widened, their jaw dropped. Even after Archer said it, Marco doubted what he heard. For a single second her words repeated over and over. When he didn't find any hidden meaning, his guard dropped a little.

"Wasn't I unfit to be your Master? Why the change of heart?" he asked.

"Didn't you hear what I just said?" she replied with some annoyance.

So all she said was not only a bunch of compliments. In a different situation, Marco would have figured it out long before Archer's decision. The evening had already been too long.

"I can't guarantee you we will win the Holy Grail War and get your wish granted," he said.

"Oh, but we will. And do all the other stuff you wanted," Archer said. "We will win the way proper for a Heroic Spirit - without unnecessary bloodshed."

Her enthusiasm was charming. For a first time since Archer was summoned, Marco saw only an energetic girl. In some way he was more inclined to trust her.

"Alright, I'm in. How exactly do we form a contract?" he asked.

"I'll do all the heavy lifting for you. You just have to agree." She raised a finger. "And since you can't control your mana, I'll add a term to use it without forcing yourself. Is that OK with you?"

"I'm not sure. Sounds dangerous..."

"Marco, the whole Grail War is a dangerous business. This is nothing. And I really don't want to drain you out of mana. It would mean the end for both of us."

"Yeah, Marco. Just form the contract." Janna backed Archer.

"Wait, he is right," Jackie stepped in. "Is it really necessary to give your mana to a Servant?"

He mentally repeated Archer's explanation. Without a mana source, they were going with a disadvantage against other Masters, probably dooming them both. There was only one method, and he could not bear to use it.

"There no other way, is it?" he sighed. "Alright. Let's do this."

Archer invited Marco to step forward and he followed. The incantation she recited was shorter than the summoning spell. It made just as much sense. A slightly glowing aura formed around her. Later Jackie would tell Marco the same aura appeared around him as well. When the question "do you accept" came, his mind was still uncertain, while an instinct was telling him this was the way. He went with the latter.

The Command Spells emitted a pulse of red light. As if weight dropped on his back, he felt the need to put extra effort just to stay up. After a minute or so either he got used to it, or the weight almost disappeared.

Now that Marco had his own Servant, he officially introduced himself, Jackie and Janna. On the other hand, Archer still wanted to be called by his Servant class. Marco decided to not push her on this. Seeming it was getting very late, he checked his phone. Tuesday was into his last hour. His high-school-boy worries came back. Study, homework, his parents being back, the garage...

Same applied for Jackie and Janna. Marco and Archer said goodbye to them and sprinted back to his house. On the way back his Servant randomly asked him about Jackie. Marco only said she was his girlfriend. To his surprise, Archer grinned at him and squeak like a teenage girl. Could have fooled him, if it wasn't for the exotic dress and the inhuman strength.

 **XXX**

The windows' curtains were clear and yellowish, indicating Marco's parents were home. Holding the door's handle he stood for a moment, figuring out some details for Archer's cover. When he stepped through the doorstep, both his mom and dad leaped and squeezed him in a hug. From their point of view damaged garage and missing son probably looked like a terrifying event had came to life. Not that he was part of the Holy Grail War, chance for such event was more real than ever.

His parents noticed Archer just outside the house. Marco intercepted their questions and introduces her as a new transfer student. His version was that she had nowhere to stay, thus he offered their house. Since a friend from Scandinavia regularly stayed with the Diazes, Marco hoped his parents would be cool with this.

Both his parents were thrilled to meet Archer and didn't question Marco's words at all. While dad went to prepare the guest room, mom started questioning Archer about where she was from. Sweating heavily, Marco tried to intervene and not let the girl say anything at all. With very believable enthusiasm she talked about some made up country called Mewnie. His father joined them, and even Marco followed. Together, they enjoyed Archer's passionate stories of her past, or how the blue dress was an official wear in her country and she had lost most of her luggage. Marco wondered how much of these stories were made up.

After an hour it was clear his parents really liked Archer. Then again, they liked any of Marco's friends. Maybe she was much more interesting, because Archer was supposed to be from an exotic country. But like it or not, both had school tomorrow. Marco had to cut their storytelling session short. Before heading to his room, he made sure Archer was in her own – the guest room. With a promise to talk about the Holy Grail War tomorrow, Marco left his Servant to get some sleep. _Do Servants even sleep?_

On the way to his room, Marco's dad asked him the one question he had no good answer - what had happened to the garage. Only excuse he had come up was that his, Jackie and Janna's science experiment had a "catastrophic failure". His father didn't asked any follow up questions, only suggested to think twice before getting himself into such dangerous projects.

Marco really wanted to get some homework done. The clock showed one past midnight. He would just have to stay under Ms. Skullnick's radar. The moment he laid on the bed, Marco realized exactly how tired he was. A lot of weird stuff happened the last couple of days. He and Jackie got themselves into a magical war. Without much of a choice, Janna got involved too. He summoned his own Servant. Had to chase her down and fight her. Now she was living with him and would be going to school together. How was he going to explain that to his teacher?

How did he lose control of his own life so fast?


	6. Servants

**Servants**

There was some kind of dungeon, but decorated with colorful banners, garlands and balloons. Teens wearing clothes typical for medieval nobles. Creatures of any sort, but somehow still human-like. Talking, dancing, laughing together. Even Archer was there in a different, more official dress. She was ready to burst from joy.

On one of the walls a hole appeared. Stairs led down to an unknown place. Suddenly both monsters and humans were accusing each other. Troubled Archer tried to calm them down. Her effort was enough for a temporary peace. Then she entered the passage alone.

The hidden corridor was dusty and not lit at all, nothing like the previous room. With a glowing stick in hand, Archer made her way down. A woman with violet ponytails and rent clothes waited for her. She showed Archer a closet filled with monsters. Scared to death monsters. Both the girl and the woman argued over them.

Part of the ceiling collapsed over the woman. A lizard-like creature fell from it and picked Archer by the wrists. The struggle was useless. The lizard man brought her in the next room. He strapped Archer to something that looked like a mainframe computer from 1960's. Two suction cups on the cheeks connected her with the machine. A middle-aged woman with curly gray hair stepped in. Both knew each other, hated each other.

Suddenly the woman's cheeks started glowing. Behind her two plates lighten up and illuminated the room. Like a magical gate, they moved on their own, revealing an entirely different chamber. She stepped in. The crib, the dolls, they toy chest, she recognized them all. Then her arm became slimy, with claws for fingers.

The woman with purple hair transformed into a buffed and ugly version of herself. With pure rage she went for the gray-haired woman. Somehow Archer appeared between them. With a magical stick she blasted the muscular creature away. A ruthless fight broke between them. Their magical attacks steadily demolished the chamber. Archer fought bravely, but clearly was running out of energy. A blue flame ended hitting her.

 **XXX**

Four minutes before his alarm Marco was wide awake. He spent that time thinking about his dream. So many events happened so fast. Some had realism level of detail, others were already forgotten. If they were from some sort a story, a lot of context was missing. The whole thing was just as weird as his last dream. But the uncanny fact was that Archer was in it. An unfamiliar version of her. Was this a side effect of the contract? Or the last night had left such deep impression of her?

His phone started ringing energetically. Instead of the usual alarm-delaying cycle, he turned it off. Some details of the dream had already faded. It was pointless to worry about. He got up and removed the t-shirt. A purple spot marked where Archer had landed the winning blow. It was surprisingly small - a little wider than his thumbnail. Applying pressure didn't hurt as bad as it looked. Turning around felt more uncomfortable, than painful. Marco wondered what would have happened if Archer haven't pulled her punch.

After the black pants and red hoodie, Marco put on a pair of fingerless gloves. Because of the cut, moving the right hand felt between mild discomfort and light pain. The gloves weren't his style, but Jackie had shown how useful they are. With a backpack in one hand, he stopped for a moment. Marco was surprised how refreshed he felt, despite cutting on his sleep time and letting a Servant constantly take some of his energy.

Giggles came from downstairs. Each morning Marco's parents were getting up much earlier. His father had a job as a construction site manager. Mother helped with the bills as a kindergarten teacher. Both required to leave earlier than when school started. Only mornings Marco had with his parents were when he skipped the school bus in favor of walking.

A loud gasp came from his mother. Somebody had told her something ridiculous. At the kitchen table Marco found both her and Archer having a lively discussion. They reminded him of a scene from TV series, where a college girl and her younger sister plotted their next mischief. The distinct aroma of maple syrup made its way to him.

"Good morning, Marco," his mother greeted him. "Come, sit. I've made pancakes."

She energetically hopped back to the kitchen. Still wondering what's going on, Marco pulled a chair next to his Servant.

"Morning, Marco!" she said with a shining smile. Archer had chosen freedom from any hairstyle, letting her hair take a naturally graceful form. The length of it was quite impressive - it almost reached the floor. The dark green dress she wore was nothing Marco had seen in this household.

"Where did you get that dress?" he half-whispered.

"This thing? I can make clothes with my wand. This is my casual wear. After all, we're going to school, right?"

"That raised more questions than it answered." His look jumped between her and his busy mother. "How did you explain that to her?"

"Crazy story. Don't worry about it."

"I am getting very worried."

A full plate arrived in front of Marco. Stack of golden pancakes with dark berries soaked in syrup on top. They used to be the traditional chose for breakfast. But as Marco grew taller, and started chasing Jackie, pancakes were getting rarer. Eventually for Marco they turned into a special morning meal. Smiling, his mother waited for him to try them. The pancakes tasted just as incredible as they looked.

"These are amazing," he complimented with full mouth.

"Thank you, Marco," her smile grew wider. "Ellie, do you want more?"

Ellie was a name Marco randomly came up for his Servant. Later he realized it wasn't that random - it had sunk into his mind from a video game.

"No thanks, Mrs. Diaz." Archer laid a hand over where her stomach is supposed to be. "I don't have any place left in here."

The gesture reminded Marco of his younger self. Back then the whole family would get together for breakfast. His father used to challenge him to a pancake-eating contest. Marco would struggle to keep up, until his stomach signaled enough was enough. Somehow his dad always finished his own set of pancakes and continued Marco's. With such unique skill he was better off participating in real competitions.

Just now Marco noticed his father haven't appeared yet.

He took a bite with his fork. "Mom, where is dad?"

"Oh..." her cheerful expression shifted. "You know the construction site where your dad works? Last night there has been an explosion."

Marco didn't noticed when did the pulsating noise appeared. His heart was beating absurdly fast.

"Your father had to leave early," she continued. "Whatever had happened, he will find out "If you ask me, there has been gas leakage. Nothing your dad is responsible for."

Her voice trembled slightly, she was troubled, uncertain. If it wasn't the fifteen years spent with his mother, Marco would have never noticed it. Gas leakage? He sincerely hoped. But couldn't believe it. Not after the realization a magical war was going to take place in his town. Marco needed more information to reach to any conclusion. Maybe he could have a quick look before going to school.

Or there was another way. An explosion in plain boring Echo Creek was bound to be all over the news. Marco jumped out of the chair and landed on the couch. His shaky hands grabbed the remote. The TV's black screen came to life. On focus was a young brunette with a microphone. Behind her men with greenish vests and yellow helms carefully stepped around.

Archer sat next to Marco. His mother was standing somewhere behind the couch. The picture changed. Part of the hole was in frame. Yellow striped tape outlined where nobody was allowed to pass. Only a few workers were around. Compared to the hole, they were tiny. Hundreds of men like them could fit inside just fine.

There was no active fire. No some form of dying fire. No charred debris from any fire. The crater itself almost gracefully shaped, as if it was dug up with a giant ice cream spoon. And that was not the weirdest part. Not just the hole, but the entire place was covered in melting layer of snow.

"That is definitely a Servant thing," Archer quietly stated.

 **XXX**

"Why would a Servant blow up a construction site? And an empty one too."

Marco wanted to hear the rest of the news report. But he also was going to hate himself for making Jackie wait. Before he realized it, it was already late. Without thinking too much, he had grabbed his backpack, his jacket, his Servant and jumped through the front door. Now he tried to keep an above-average tempo. Archer seemed to have no problem walking beside him.

"It wasn't a _Servant_ , but _Servants_ ," she corrected Marco. "Two of them fighting, in my opinion."

He slowed down just a little. The image of crater meters deep was so fresh as if he was there himself. It was fortunate whatever happened, happened at night, when nobody was there. Next time somebody might not be so lucky. And how worse it's going to get when all seven Servants starts fighting?

"Two? If two can do so much damage, then by the end of the War Echo Creek will be Echo Desert. We have to do something," he said.

"Assuming at least one of them is still alive, I could probably track him down. Then, take him down."

The girl playfully readjusted her red headband. She seemed excited by the idea. Her Master did not share the same enthusiasm. Eliminating a Servant as fast as they could was good. Going blindly against an unknown opponent - not so much. Marco hoped tonight Jackie would get her Servant as well. Then, with their combined strength and weaknesses in mind, he would plan accordingly.

He turned at Archer. "Hold on. Before we go on a hunt for Servants, I will need some more info. For starting - your Servant class. How is it different from other classes?"

"The Archer class? Well, my strengths are obliterating enemies from afar with range attacks. Also I have excellent sight, making me the perfect scout. Oh, I also have good magic resistance," she finished with a proud smile.

"Good. What about weaknesses?"

"There is one - Archer class is one of the weakest in melee combat. But you don't have to worry about it," Archer made a dismissive sign with her hand. Then her expression changed. "And since we're being _brutally_ honest here, I want lay down a few ground rules."

Marco tried to hide his surprise with a curious look. "Sure. Go ahead. "

"I don't kill. No humans, no Masters. Servants are another story. Period."

Her seriousness was deadly. Marco could swore if he opposes Archer on this, some kind of Hell would break loose. Despite agreeing with her, he could not help but feel pressured.

"I completely agree," he said.

"Good. Second - please don't force me to use my Noble Phantasm."

Another term Janna had missed to tell Marco about. And they were almost at Jackie's house. The blonde girl herself was not out yet. Somehow Marco and Archer had made it early.

"Don't get mad, but what is a Noble Phantasm?"

"Noble Phantasms are Servant's secret weapons. They are powerful attacks that can turn the table in any battle."

"Noted. But why shouldn't we use yours?"

"Because you're not a real mage, you don't have any control over your mana. A Noble Phantasm requires a lot of energy to be used. And mine is very powerful, very heavy for using. Best case nothing will happen. Worst case I - or even you - dies."

Now he understood. Why Archer demanded her Master to be a mage. Without her Noble Phantasm their disadvantage just got worse. Which makes choosing him as her Master even more baffling. Does she really believe they have a shot at winning the Holy Grail War?

Through the oak-colored entrance door Jackie hopped out. She noticed Marco and came to greet him. As usually, she was full of perfect mix between energy and style. Just meeting Jackie like this used to give Marco hard time keeping his pulse under control. That was only for the first month together.

"Hey, Marco."

The annotation she used hid a provocation directed for him. Jackie's way of expecting a kiss from him. The blonde girl rarely did that, usually when they were in the company of friendly faces. But Marco did not feel comfortable enough around Archer. The Servant on the other hand had such a wide grin, her cheeks were getting redder. Seeing her as an overexcited teenage girl relaxed him.

"Hey, um..." Jackie was stuck on greeting Archer.

"Just Archer. And morning, Jackie!" the Servant helped finish the girl's sentence. Until now not knowing Archer's name did not bothered Marco.

"What _is_ it your name, anyway?" he asked.

"I prefer to keep it to myself. If a Servant's identity is known, then his weaknesses will be known as well. "

"I get it" Marco let it slide. "But some day you have to tell me."

"Same goes for the Noble Phantasm," she said. "Use it and your enemy will figure out who you really are."

"What's a Noble Phantasm?" Jackie's look jumped between Marco and his Servant.

Funny he had asked the same question just a minute ago. Archer seemed to have no problem playing the role of an encyclopedia for Servants. She might not have to, if he and Jackie had more time to read Janna's book on the Holy Grail War.

Time was the one resource that even organized Marco had trouble stacking up. Even now his phone showed they had less than fifteen minutes before class started. Being late for someone like Janna was nothing Skullnick would take seriously - the girl has been doing it since ninth grade. In his case, however, the teacher will call his parents again. He will have to come up with more excuses. And last night Marco learned making excuses was not his strongest characteristic.

With forced patience he waited for Archer retelling what a Noble Phantasm was. Then alerted Jackie they were going to be late. Her emerald eyes grew as much as her grin. She offered using skateboards was the fastest way. And it was, if Marco was confident enough to get on one of those again. Archer was just as excited as Jackie, then asked what a skateboard was. Marco quickly shot the idea down, but made a mental note next time to bring his bike. He told them about a shortcut he had planned and used twice. Though the park, passing the mall, around the dojo and two streets to cross. It should cut enough to get just in the for the first school bell.

Around the park few pet owners had gotten early enough to walk their dogs. Nothing unusual. Next to the entrance stood a rather interesting girl. Her light pink hair, spitted into two ponytails, was a rare sight in this town. Too busy playing with a cellphone, the girl did not notice Marco and the girls headed her way. The dress style was also unusual - dark blue shirt, knee-length skirt, red ribbon and long white socks. It reminded him of a female anime school uniform. Considering the not-so-warm weather Marco took her for a brave cosplayer.

As he passed by, Marco had to suppress his curiosity and avoid staring at the girl. Last thing he wanted is to be taken for a creep. Then, a gentle voice made him stop:

"Um, excuse me."

Archer and Jackie turned back at her. Marco stiffly followed. Thinking how weird he must be looking, he let the others do the talking.

"Can we help you?" Jackie asked.

The pink-haired girl's eyes jumped from Marco to his girlfriend. Crimson iris looked surprisingly natural. Could be rare genetic mutation, or just really awesome contact lenses.

"Do you know where Silver Hill school is? You see, I'm new here..."

She looked not that much older than Marco and Jackie. Her face had some features typical for Asian women. Despite that, the girl spoke English very naturally.

Jackie started with directions where their rival school was. A transfer student from other parts of the world was part of school programs all the time. Actually, Marco could use this as explanation for Archer. Could fool Ms. Skullnick for a few days.

He checked on his Servant. Archer was enchanted by Jackie's explanation. Midway through, the pink-haired girl typed something in her phone. A two-piece sliding style phone with keyboard was modern ten years ago. Now everybody had touchscreen smart device for communication. Either it was a personal favorite style, or the girl was financially less fortunate.

Pointing across the street, Jackie finished with the last direction. With a polite bow and thin smile, the girl thank her and headed where she was instructed to go. Sudden breeze reminded Marco how chilly fall can be. Looking at the pink-haired girl wearing summer clothes both amazed him and made him shiver.

That little encounter cost them time. After quick mental math Marco calmed himself. With better tempo, they still could get to school on time. He and the girls hastily crossed the park. Curious Archer asked about the dogs, the park itself, the school they were heading. Jackie answered her with contagious energy. Occasionally Marco joined then to give some context, or a curious detail. For some reason Archer found the Echo Creek Mud Pits really interesting. Neither he nor Jackie were sure what their purpose was.

As they got closer to school, traffic reached usual levels for a Wednesday morning. Yellow bus passed by and almost missed a right turn. Marco recognized the same school bus that picked him almost every morning. Full with the rest of his friends and classmates. Last night experience told him to figure out Archer's story before meeting any of them.

Marco changed direction into the small alley on the right. Between the two buildings he recognized a Chinese restaurant. Just last week he visited it with Jackie and her parents. It was too early to be opened, or even anybody to be inside. Minimal chance anybody would try to eavesdrop. Turned out this alley was the perfect hiding spot.

Jackie and Archer joined him. Both looked puzzled. Even a tiny part of Marco find him paranoid.

"Before we get to the school. Archer, we need to get your story straight," he said.

"Ah, there is no need." she giggled. "I'll just stay around in my Spiritual Form."

Jackie shot before Marco. " _Spiritual Form_. Explain that."

"Every Servant can enter a state where he remains invisible. It help us stay hidden, but we cannot interact with the physical world."

Servants can stay invisible. There goes Marco's biggest problem for the moment. Of course his mind opened a box with a dozen other issues. If she can stay hidden at will, so can an enemy Servant and stalk him at school. Or anywhere. Even right now there could be a Servant nearby and they would not know it.

He was getting really paranoid.

"That's perfect," he said. "Just stay close and don't reveal yourself."

Archer nodded. "Okey-dokey."

From her boots twinkling snowflakes started floating up. As they climbed and disappeared, her legs vanished. More snowflakes continued to form and evaporate. Second later, Archer was gone. _That trick could have been useful last night._

The phone clock showed they had a couple of minutes before the bell. Marco checked his right hand. Except for the fingers, the glove covered it entirely, including the Command Spells. Jackie wore similar gloves as well. There was no way anybody could figure out they were Masters. Unless the others knew something he did not. He brushed away that line of thoughts. _Worry about it some other time._

Marco tried to smile at Jackie.

"I guess we're going to school then."


	7. Shifting Shadows

**Shifting Shadows**

School was as normal as it always was. Around the other students Marco acted mostly natural. Only Alfonzo and Ferguson recognized he was trying too hard. They figured it was because of the explosion at his father's construction site. Marco talked it out with them, but didn't say what really bothered him. He kept his real thought for behind the cafeteria.

Jackie wanted to go to the crater after school and have a look. Her bet was to find some signs of who did it, or even stumble on a Master. The idea of dealing with Servant did not bother her. Marco understood - Jackie was ready to stop more Servant-related disasters. He wasn't. They argued that first priority should be getting her own Servant, not exposing themselves to risk. Janna seemed to understand how serious the Grail War was. She defended Marco's point, which finally convinced Jackie to give up.

Jackie's summoning was going to be performed at Janna's house. Marco had only once seen her place and it was big, modern, something proper for a wealthy family. Plus her parents were out of town till the end of the week. Having the whole house free from unwanted attention was the deciding factor.

Before leaving school, Jackie made sure the others knew the plan for tonight. While she and Janna were busy preparing the place, Marco was to head back home. Janna had forgotten her backpack at his house along with the book. Actually Marco was planning to bring it with himself to school and had the backpack prepared. Then the news about an explosion consumed his attention and he left without realizing something was missing.

The weather was comfortably warm and quiet. Only a dozen cars were all the traffic around. In contrast, many people had taken the opportunity to walk to their own destinations. Marco's phone informed him rush hour was just beginning.

He stopped next to the Chinese restaurant. The poster of noodles with vegetables made his stomach rumble. A group of young adults passed next to him. Another group was coming this way. Their distance was not much, but enough for Marco to feel safe. He smuggled into the alley, where Archer had disappeared. Since then, no sound, no word, nothing had indicated his Servant existed in the first place. The bruise on his chest was a reminder that was not the case. He was wondering was Archer here with him at all.

As a response to his thought, the air in front of him started to vibrate. Archer materialized in the same clothes as this morning. She was furious.

"Hey, there. Here's the thing. You forgot to mention that your girlfriend is a _Master_."

Marco expected this problem. After all, the goal of the War was only one Servant to remain standing. Archer probably had overheard Marco and Jackie talking about it, then waited until end of school. Pretty awful way to find out.

"Look, Archer," he started, "I didn't try to hide it. With all that happened in the last twenty-four hours, it just slipped my mind."

Marco had a look behind him. People walked away. Nobody had noticed them arguing in the alley.

"Yes," he continued "for some unholy reason, me and Jackie are both part of the Grail War. And we both want to end it with minimal casualties. So we're a team - we will fight together against the other Masters."

"You do realize at the end I will have to kill her Servant."

"I do. When the time comes, we will let both of you fight freely. Let the better Servant win."

Archer's look soften up. "That's... actually pretty fair. But only if we get our identities known as well."

"Sure. Completely fair fight."

She raised a finger at Marco. "But don't you, my noble Master, have a wish? I bet Jackie does."

"First, don't call me _Master_. It's creepy. Second, no, we don't want anything from the Grail."

"And you don't care what your Servants might do with their wish?"

Such though had never occurred to him. Having a magical object that can make anything real was indeed a powerful tool for _any_ goal.

Marco crossed his arms. "Well, if one of you turns out to be evil, I guess we'll have to stop him as well."

Archer made a puppy-wide eyes. "Do I look evil to you?"

Delicious smell of sweet and sour found its way to Marco. The thought of golden brown chicken chunks made his mouth watery. Stomach didn't miss to growl either.

"Archer, Jackie and Janna are waiting for us and I'm hungry." Marco partially turned around. "You coming, or not?"

"Right behind you," the girl said and vanished.

On the way home hunger became from tolerable to distracting. Even after an intensive karate lesson it wasn't that bad. Back at his house Marco found a full plate of this morning's pancakes. He was more than ready to deal with them, but could not let Archer just watch. When Marco stuffed himself with half of the reheated breakfast, he thought about the news report ten hours ago. His father still haven't got back from work. Not a good sign, but he tried think positive.

The backpack waited right where Marco had forgotten it. He told his mother they're going to Janna's house without specifying what for. _Steering around the truth, no lying._ With that, Marco made sure the book was inside, then left. Archer shortly followed him, until she found an opportunity to enter Spirit Form again.

 **XXX**

Wide dark-slated clouds split the orange sky. Marco tried the doorbell again. Before his thumb reached, the entrance door opened. It was Jackie who came out and unlocked the garden door. Puzzled Marco watched, as she looked around for somebody. They were alone, except for invisible Archer. A playful smile grew on Jackie's face, then had a deep kiss with her boyfriend. It reminded Marco of their first kiss, the relieving jolt that weaken him, something much greater than what he just experienced. Before his thoughts came down to Earth, Jackie had already pulled him inside.

The living room, if that was how it's called, was as big as whole first floor of Marco's house. With a huge TV, electric fireplace, exotic paintings, it checked all the points for "we're doing better than most people" title. Janna never had mentioned what her parents did for a living. Whatever it was, it could explain why they are so often out of the country.

Sudden invisible weight dropped on Marco's shoulders. His legs wanted him to kneel. He took a deep breath and resisted it. Out of thin air Archer materialized. Back in silver armor and with a straight look. Jackie greeter her with a smile and a hand wave. The Servant shined up in response, then went back to being grumpy. Marco imagined she was still salty about the summoning of another Servant.

Then Archer's expression changed. She noticed a grocery bag full of candy bars.

"Sweet! Sweets!" she leaped over and dipped inside.

"Archer, wait. These are not for us." Jackie stopped her.

Like an ice cream on a summer day, Archer's excitement melted. Marco mentally compared her to a puppy. The Servant even let out a whimpering sound. He sighed, then turned to his girlfriend.

"What Archer wanted to say is she understands." He looked at the candy bag. "I though Janna didn't like any sweets."

"I know, right? " Jackie said. "Yet, she really wanted stop at the store load up on them. I think Janna has a little crush on somebody."

"You know what? Ferguson likes candies a little too much," he said.

"Dude, you blew my mind. That would be so adorable!"

"And gross, you sick people!" Janna interrupted them. She was leaning on a wall, as if she was there an eternity.

Archer smiled at her. "Hey, Janna-Banana! Can we try some of your precious candy?"

The raven-haired girl's eyes rolled over. Then gave a positive nod. Archer grinned and started a process of choosing which candy bar to try out. Jackie went to help her out. Watching a powerful Servant acting like a kid was entertaining for Marco. If it wasn't for the cold metal protecting her body, he would be fooled she was one.

The armored girl picked one with black wrapper and asked Jackie. Hiding her words with a hand, she whispered back to Archer. Both laughed loudly. Marco had no problem imagining Archer as a normal teen. Her innocent hyperactivity was great match for Jackie's endless energy. The boy could not help but wonder if his Servant was ready for a tough fight against others of her kind. And was he ready as well? The question jumped around his mind without getting closer to a definite answer.

With a shrug Jackie knocked Marco out of his thoughts. She surprised him with a candy bar. The coconut-flavored desserts were on one of his favorite, and she had picked exactly that. Guilt ran through him, because he had missed an opportunity to do the same for her. Except for Janna, the others enjoyed their treat. Marco did the same. For a moment his hunger was suppressed, then came back even stronger.

"So, who likes tons of sweets?" he asked, while carefully chewing.

"Someone special. And it's not Ferguson." Janna said.

From her resisting expression Marco knew digging deeper wasn't going to yield any results. But Jackie did not give up so easily. Her continuous barrage of questions only annoyed the raven-haired girl. Archer tried a few shots herself. Even Marco found teasing Janna funny. Little payback for pranking him.

Preparations for summoning a Servant were going one floor below - at the basement. Even with all the wooden barrels and metal crates, it was bigger than Marco's garage. Gloomy light gave the whole place a somewhat menacing look. Marco could swore, when he was not looking, shadows were jumping around.

"Is this your room? Love what you've done with the place," he said.

"So funny. Did you come with this on your own?" With one hand Janna tossed her backpack on the ground. "Now help me out. We've got a summoning to do." She pulled out the book with black covers. Then started drawing on the ground with a brush.

Besides a few details, the summoning circle looked similar to Marco's. Other steps of the preparations were either same, or too similar for him to notice differences. Only major was the so called _catalyst_ \- an old rusty revolver. It looked like a well-made prop from a western movie. Marco had no idea where Janna was getting these relics from. His wild guess was an antique shop. Maybe her folks collected and sold antiques?

Jackie removed the right glove, exposing her palm and the Command Spells. She took Janna's pocked knife from her and made quick cut. Her hands did not hesitate. Her face barely changed. On words Marco knew how passionate Jackie was about minimizing collateral damage from the Holy Grail War. Now he saw her confidence in action.

When Jackie started reading the incantation, Archer moved closer to her Master. She looked tense, serious. One of the first things you learn in karate was different stances and their purposes. From them Marco recognized his Servant's positioning and body language. Archer was guarding him. Only potential threat he could think of was the Servant, that was about to appear. Marco didn't mind some protection.

As Jackie continued reciting the summoning spell, weak blue light covered her feet. For a split second a dampened hissing noise came from somewhere else. Marco looked at a couple of wooden crates stacked in the corner. In the blackness of their shadows something with a sharp form had a cold shine.

The object suddenly disappeared, leaving only a neon red trail in the air. It went straight for Jackie's back. Archer stepped behind her. She swung and blurred the air in front. The trail ricocheted in her sword. It ended up in the ceiling. Only a second had passed since Marco heard the hissing noise. Half a second later and the trail was gone, leaving only a stainless steel kitchen knife.

Marco's blood froze. He was absolutely sure a Servant just tried to kill his girlfriend. Confused Jackie and Janna stared at steeled Archer. Marco tried to warn them, but the shadows were faster. Blur of darkness leaped from behind the crates. For a moment Marco recognized a human being with crimson eyes. The shadows smashed into his chest. He was on the ground with significant weight pinning him down.

Through the blackness appeared a face of a girl. Same light pink hair as the Asian girl from this morning. Same crimson eyes, only chillingly focus. Marco strengthen his arms and push against her weight. The girl tighten up the lock. Any freedom he had disappeared. One end of the shadows turned into a human hand. It grabbed Marco's throat and started crushing his trachea. Arms and legs resisted the lock, managing only to burn oxygen. With her other hand the girl raised a kitchen knife. Marco's face was not even purple. He still had time to see where he was getting stabbed.

Instantly the girl changed her grip on the knife and slammed it down. Jackie screamed Marco's name.

One ray of pink light hit the knife, knocking it off in the air. The other missed the girl's head, because she moved. She soften her grip on Marco, when Archer's wand started glowing. A barrage of the same rays overflew the shadows that was Marco's attacker. It became too bright to look. He squeezed his eyes and focus on his breathing. Each inhale was dull and painful. Light keep on flashing through the cover of his eyelids. Sounds of hundreds of bullets hitting were coming from what he though was right. Next breath was tolerable. A few seconds later the sounds stopped, the lightshow was gone.

As Marco opened his eyed. Archer jumped over him, scaring her Master even more.

"I'm going after her!" she yelled and disappeared into a cloud of dust.

That was exactly what Marco feared. He remembered the snow-covered hole with a size of a Mall. If a fight between Archer and another Servant had the same destructive potential, he had every right to worry.

Marco sat on the concrete floor. Breathing was back into normal rates. His throat still hurt, but it was manageable. Jackie rushed to him. She sat on her knees and softly put her hands on Marco's cheeks. Her face had lost some color.

"Oh God, Marco. Are you hurt?" she asked.

"I've had worse," his voice trembled a little. "You alright, Jackie?"

"Scared to death, otherwise fine. Was that the girl from the park?"

"She is a Servant. And since we're Masters, she tried to take us out the easy way."

"You met her? And didn't realized she is a Servant?" Janna said.

"In our defense, Janna, she looked like a normal high school girl." Marco said.

"And how in the world a Servant got in here without us noticing?" Janna asked.

"Somehow she found out we're Masters, what we're planning and followed us." Jackie said.

With the help of Jackie and Janna, Marco was back on his feet. He looked at where Archer had gone. The wall covering the stairs was full of tiny bullet holes and cracks. No bloodstains of any kind. Archer's attacks had completely missed their target and chased it away from her Master.

Suddenly Marco's legs really wanted him to sit somewhere. He had to command them to keep up for now. Exhaustion out of nowhere meant Archer was using his energy. The fight had already begun.

Marco turned at Janna. "Can you and Jackie continue with the summoning?"

She scan the summoning circle. "Everything seems intact. We're good to go."

"What about you?" Jackie asked.

"I'm going to make sure Archer and that girl won't turn our city into a warzone."

 **XXX**

 _Archer and that girl are not inside the house. Or else, there wouldn't be a house._ Marco concluded after he didn't find any signs of battle in the living room. Still, he felt getting more tired with each second. Sensei had taught him how to deal with physical fatigue and to continue. Getting your magical energy drained felt the same, yet it was not. Marco was finding a way to manage. For now.

Night has overtaken the outside world. Out on the empty street Marco felt exposed. The other Servant could attack him again. He hoped to have something to defend himself against her. He had looked for the knifes she left behind, but they had completely disappeared. Maybe humans could not use Servants' weapons anyway.

Something bright passed above him. For a moment the surroundings had bright blue tint. Marco stared up, waiting to see it again. A familiar ray of radiant light traveled through the sky and went downtown. It came from Janna's house, but not from inside. Somewhere above. With eyes locked onto the rays' origin, he carefully moved away.

On what seemed to be the house's tiled rooftop, Archer stood with a bow. Not those raw wooden bow from the Medieval Period. A graceful, even beautiful weapon, nothing Marco had ever seen even in video games. The curved frame looked like a pair of angel wings and glowed slightly. They grew from what was Archer's purple wand with a golden star.

The Servant set her free hand on the wand's base. She started pulling the air. A searing bolt formed from the wand's star, all the way to her fingertips. As she pulled harder, neon light glowed brighter from the bow's tips, creating its string.

Archer gently let go and the bolt split the night sky.

"Archer! What are doing?" Marco yelled.

"I'm trying to take down Assassin," she simply answered.

"Stop it! You're going to kill somebody."

"No, I'm not," the girl shot another bolt of light.

"Would you just listen to me?! Even if nobody gets hurt, somebody has already saw the fireworks. When they figure out where it came from, more Masters will come after us."

Archer prepared another bolt. Silently she aimed at the distant target. Then she returned back then magical arrow and it disappeared. Another moment of silence passed.

"Fine," she said and her bow turned into rainbow-colored dust. "I'm done anyway."

The Servant made a causal leap and landed next to her Master. The smug on her face raised Marco's curiosity.

"Did you get her?" he asked.

"Nah, she hid inside a house. And since I can't blow up the house-"

"Ok, I get it. Then why are you smiling?"

"I saw Assassin's Master."


	8. Optimistic Negotiations

**Optimistic Negotiations**

A castle. Archer in familiar casual green dress. Ignoring the two guards, she entered one of the rooms. A woman with silver hair, golden crown, and cheek marks. She was busy writing something down. She was her mother. Infuriated Archer asked her about the woman with the slimed arm. Confusion written all over the silver-haired woman. Then realization. Then anger. She left somewhere for a meeting.

Another room of the castle, only darker, abandoned. On the sheetless bed was another woman. Dark curvy hair and different set of cheek marks. Archer sat next to her. She asked the same thing her mother could not answer.

The woman's eyes widened. They turned watery. She brushed the tears away one eye at a time. More came back. She turned back to hide her weeping. Archer sat there quiet and saddened. Two tiny tears find their way to her cheeks.

With eyes red and little sobbing, the woman talked. She explained everything. The more Archer listened, the more the truth shocked her.

 **XXX**

The darkness in Marco's room bothered him: it meant he had awaken way too early. His phone confirmed it – six minutes past four.

His eyes closed. Archer's attacks had left him exhausted. He remembered throwing his pants on the chair and lying down just for a sec. Then the dream with Archer. The woman who she called _mother_. The other woman, which she made her cry. It felt like this dream was a continuation of his last. A story unfolding in his sleep, without having idea what was going on. One of the strangest dreams he ever had. Considering last two days, there was no way it was coincidental.

Marco rolled to one side of his bed. He searched for a way to ask Archer about the dreams without sounding creepy. If they had something to do with the Holy Grail War and her, which he was sure of, she would understand. For some reason, he felt this was a delicate topic to her. And once again, Archer was not happy with him.

After their encounter with an enemy Servant, somehow Archer saw who her Master was: a girl, maybe older by a few years than him, maybe younger. At first Marco was not sure what to do with this information. It was an advantage, but in what way? Archer wanted to _trap the girl_. That should be enough to worry the enemy Servant, make her sloppy, and give Archer the edge to take her out easily. Marco found this plan suspiciously close to kidnapping. He was not ready to do it, even if it meant losing the War.

His counter-offer became the reason Archer was mad at him. If there was a way to resolve this without risking lives, he was ready to try it. If it was without risking Jackie's life, then he must try it. So Marco wanted to have a talk with the other Master. Outcome lied between two spectrums: best case scenario – the girl would become their ally, or, by some kind of miracle, give up being a Master. Worst case – Archer would have to deal with Assassin. Of course, much darker outcomes were possible and even without exploring them, he knew. After last night's _demonstration_ of Archer's abilities, Marco was a little more confident. And there was the possibility she wasn't going to fight Assassin alone.

He rolled again. The clock showed four fifteen. He was surprised how slow time passed, when you mentally replayed events, instead of dreaming. There was no way he was going to sleep anytime soon.

At these early hours his parents were either sleeping, or doing something he didn't want to imagine. From the corridor he could hear a deep male voice snoring. That gave him the courage to get downstairs. He turned on the kitchen lights, gently illuminating the rest of the floor. The guest room, where Jackie and Janna slept, was completely closed. The TV couch had a badly folded blanket, meaning his Servant was somewhere on guard duty. He grabbed a glass of milk and sat on the dining table.

Marco didn't like his plan, but it was the one with possible best outcome. Janna did not approve. Again she made the case of Servants being extremely dangerous. And Archer was even more furious than when they had the "your girlfriend is a Master" talk. He could not blame them, for the risk was high. Waiting for another attack form Assassin was even higher. Then Jackie agreed with him and said what he was thinking, only in a more reassuring way. Eventually the group decided to give him a shot. They also came with a few backup plans, which seemed to ease up Archer. Still, Marco felt she had yet to swallow his ideas completely.

The cold drink left his teeth painfully chilled. It had the opposite effect of calming him down. Massaging his lower lip, he waited for the microwave to do its magic.

Assassin's failed attempt opened Marco to the idea that an attack could come from anywhere, anytime. Now that they knew an enemy Servant was after them, being tracked down was both real and frightening. Then Jackie's summoning ended with destroying the catalyst and no Servant. Any number of factors were different enough to make his summoning a success and hers not. The environment. The stressed out atmosphere. The slightly modified summoning circle. Jackie herself….

Two bright digits on the black display indicated Marco's milk was almost ready. He stopped the microwave, avoiding its sounding signal for "ready". Except for the handle, the ceramic mug was too hot to hold. He took a careful sip. Pleasant warmth filled his belly and he realized that was the feeling he was looking for. Satisfied, Marco sat back on the table. He took another sip.

On the other side of the table the air slightly vibrated. Out of nowhere tiny fireflies came together, forming a human shape. An instinct yelled deep down from Marco's gut. He tried to get up, to put some distance in between. Only to stumble in his chair. Archer finished materializing, sitting against Marco. He leaned on the table and tried to act as if he did not had mini panic attack. The blonde gave him a suspicious look.

"You should be sleeping," she said.

"I slept. How's your barrier holding up?"

"Nobody tried to get in or out. Seems we haven't been followed."

"Good."

Part of Marco's dream popped in his mind. Archer's expression wasn't giving away if she was still upset with him or not. Her short sentences did not help either. Best to play it safe for now.

"Archer, help me get something straight," he started. "You said Servants can sense each other and that's how Assassin tracked us down."

"Correct."

"Then how come she got down with us in Janna's basement without you realizing it?"

The girl crossed arms. "Each Servant class has a unique ability to help him, or her, in the War. Assassin's called _Presence Concealment_. Basically she cannot be sensed that easily, or at all."

"That's sounds scary. What about your ability?"

"The Archer class have _Independent Action_ skill. Thanks to it I can fight without relying on a Master's mana. For a limited time only. And since you're... well normal, I'm sure it will come in handy."

"Can you use it to fuel that powerful attack you mentioned before?" he asked.

Archer shrugged shoulders. "I doubt it will be enough for a full-blown Noble Phantasm, without spending most of my own mana."

"I see." Marco had a sip. The milk had lost its pleasant warmth. "There is something else. I keep having, well, _had_ two dreams-"

"With me in the center of them, right?" Archer's expression hardened.

He raised an eyebrow. "How do you know-"

"They're not just dreams," her look shifted to an unspecified spot on the table. "When a Master and a Servant have good connection, the Master occasionally gets to see his Servant's past. In the form of dreams."

"Really? Well besides you being there, I can't really make any sense of them. You don't look that different from the dreams."

"That's because whatever you're seeing, it must have happened shortly before I've died."

Marco swallowed painfully. She was alive? He had thought of Servants as magical being waiting to be summoned in his world. The dreams of her past proved otherwise. The girl had an adventurous life, a mother, friends both human and not in their nature. Something had happened, something had taken her life. She was around his age when it all ended.

The silence was both awkward and crushing. Nobody had taught Marco to deal with such delicate topic. Something had to be said.

"Do you want to… maybe talk about it?" he asked.

"No," Archer's tone was cold as steel. "And don't mention your dreams to anybody. It will jeopardize my identity and my-… our chances of winning the Holy Grail War."

 **XXX**

Their early morning chat left Marco with more food for though. For better or worse, sleepiness came back with full power, ending their conversation on somewhat bitter note.

Morning arrived in the form of Jackie sneaking in his room and getting the jump on him. For a moment he thought it was another dream. When he realized it did not include Archer, a form of relief came over him. Then Jackie intentionally shrugged him with an elbow, shattering the illusion. The extra two and a half hours of sleep left Marco refreshed.

School started and ended as typical as it could be. Jackie and Janna did not felt the need to sneak behind the school cafeteria. Marco was on board with that. Having a high school experience right now was the best he could imagine to a normal life. Not that he was focused on what was happening between classes, much less in the classroom.

Most of his thoughts were on Assassin's Master. He ran a few mental scenarios about her, what would he say, how she could react. Some had a positive conclusion – not getting into a fight. The rest ended as Archer and Janna had warned him. Some had even more pessimistic outcome. He found out to be making them too bad on purpose. Was it to prepare himself or to explore himself? Or a little of both?

At end of school, even after a generous lunch, Marco had developed a distracting food craving. On the other hand, an hour later he had karate lessons. Because of the War, he had skipped the last lesson and did not want to make a habit of it. Going to the dojo half-starved wasn't going to do him any favors. Together with the girls he visited the Mall to grab a snack. The massive shopping building had not only different fast-food establishments, but the dojo was there as well. Marco had long since made peace that his training ground was part of a place where people go to buy questionable clothing, watch half-baked movies and satisfy their junk food cravings.

Sensei was thrilled, even relieved to see Marco back. He didn't even mind letting Jackie and Janna watch on the side. Even if he was not the best karate teacher in Echo Creek, Sensei had respect for the art. Also expectations for others to follow the dojo's rules just strictly as he does. That was enough for Marco to put his confidence in him in the first place.

It helped him relax and not worry about tonight, or tomorrow, or when the War would end. Each exercise made Marco feel like a different person. Not as a martial artist, but as someone who he was last summer, last week, and a few days ago. With each strike he performed, a strange mix of peace and confidence ran through his entire body with empowering lasting effect. While Janna didn't seemed interested, Jackie had her full attention focused on Marco. Her eyes trembled, shined. She knew, for this was not the first time Marco had brought her, but it was the first time she looked so consumed. And somewhere between the empty benches, Archer silently stood in her Spirit Form. At least Marco hoped she was here. Else brining Janna and Jackie with him was not only pointless, but dangerous.

Two things had to be done before visiting Assassin's Master. First, Marco had to call his parents to warn them he would go out with the girls and they will be late. It was the truth, just not all of it. Next, the group had a short talk with Archer about the enemy Master. Specifically, where exactly her house was and what she looked like. Jackie repeated it all to make sure she had understood. Once they were all set, Archer entered her Spirit Form. Her job was same as last night – stay close and be ready for a surprise attack.

The sky was colored in this magical mix of sunset and night. Without slowing down, Marco double-checked his surroundings. Family-sized houses, some sharing gardens, some separating them with fences. They were getting closer. He noticed Jackie and Janna were not as chatty as when they left. Their silence both helped him focus and made him nervous.

One house was smaller from the rest. By Marco's estimate half the size of his own home. With a single level and tiny garden, outlined by the other houses' fences. As he got closer his pace lowered, until he completely stopped. The house looked depressingly lonely. Its two small windows with half-lowered curtains made it look like it was expressing its sadness. Archer's description was impressively accurate. Marco remembered something about the Archer class having excellent sight and perception.

"This is it," he simply stated.

"What now?" Janna asked.

Marco looked around, hoping to find some indication Archer was here. But that would defeat her purpose of staying invisible. No sign of her anyway.

"Let's see is anybody home," he said.

His finger stopped just a centimeter from the doorbell. Chills ran down his back, as if somebody had his gaze locked onto him. He checked both windows. The darkness inside was discouraging. He pressed the button.

Seconds passed in silence. Marco had started wondering what to do, when the door lock cracked. He was met by a girl about his age. Long curly chestnut hair. Sharp lemon green eyes. Again, Archer's description was pinpoint accurate.

"Can I help you?" she politely asked.

One of her hands kept the door open. The other she was behind her back. A part of Marco's mind raised dozen various reasons why she was hiding it. He brushed them away and bet on the logical answer: this girl was Assassin's Master.

He carefully removed his right glove and showed the back of his hand. "You know what these are?"

The girl barely raised eyebrows. Her eyes jumped around Marco, most likely focusing on Jackie and Janna. She also showed him her hand. The Command Spells were three flames arranged in a form of a leaf.

"Bold move. Come in." she invited them.

The room was both modest on size and furniture. Dark gray couch. Twenty-four inch TV. Coffee table with closed laptop on it. One corner had most basic equipment to qualify it as a kitchen. On the other end of the room the girl stood, wearing dark dress with long sleeves.

"First, introductions," she said. "I'm Rebecca."

Marco and the girls followed her example.

The chestnut-haired girl crossed arms. "Alright, Marco, Jackie and Janna. How did you figured out I'm a Master?"

"My Servant," Marco said. "She tracked yours to here."

"So you're the ones who Assassin failed to kill," Rebecca said. "Give me a good reason why she should not finish the job right now." The casual way she said it disturbed Marco.

"Wait, hold on a sec," Jackie raised both hands. "We're here to talk. No need to get crazy ideas."

"Then let's talk."

Marco and Jackie's eyes met. This was his plan, his chance to make it real. Good words were surprisingly hard to come by. He decided to start simple, but on point.

"Lately people seemed to randomly disappear. If you've seen the news, then you know police have no idea why it is happening."

Rebecca started walking around in circles. "I've heard. If you're asking me for an opinion, I've got one. Most likely a Master is feeding his Servant or some similar ritual that requires human sacrifices. Can't really say without investigating."

"That's horrible" Jackie said.

Rebecca stopped on one place. "Agreed. If somebody is empowering his Servant, then he must be stopped before things get out of hand."

A sparkle of hope flashed in Marco's mind. "Exactly. That's the main reason we've become Masters: to protect innocent people."

Surprisingly, Rebecca let out a mocking laugh. "I'm sure you've got some noble reason to do whatever you want to do. But it's flawed. In a war casualties and collateral damage are expected. And our war is not much different."

"Maybe you're right," Marco started. "But even one live saved is better than letting it go. We will do whatever is needed to avoid turning this into something… worse."

"Will you help us find and stop the Master, who is responsible for the disappearances?" Jackie asked.

Rebecca's look fell on the blonde girl. "You're forgetting what we're part of. We should be fighting each other, not teaming up. Just ask your Servant. It's interesting to see what she thinks about getting along with the enemy."

"And if this Master becomes too strong to deal with?" Jackie continued.

"Why wait until you regret it?" Marco joined her. "What if tomorrow he takes away somebody you care? What if he abducts your mother, or father?"

Rebecca's expression changed, replaced by restrained anger. Marco double-checked his words, but found nothing to wrong in them. She had formed fists and they were getting red. He carefully stepped back, as if his steps could trigger a landmine.

"Get out," Rebecca ordered through teeth.

* * *

 _ **The story has been rebooted as "Starnight: RE".**_


End file.
